You're an illiterate, illogical; a sane person won't praise Bawumia's 'destructive' policies — IMANI boss slams Dr. Acquah

Franklin Cudjoe, Founder and President of IMANI Africa, has criticized Dr. Ekow Acquah, a Political Communications Consultant, following Acquah's defense of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia's policies under the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo administration.

In an open letter, Dr. Acquah accused Cudjoe of politically motivated criticisms intended to undermine Dr. Bawumia's contributions.

He expressed disbelief that a seasoned policy analyst like Cudjoe could dismiss the significance of Bawumia's initiatives, which he argued are essential for modern economic transformation.

"Your recent analysis on Facebook, where you claimed that Bawumia's 33 policies have had no impact on the economy and the country, was baseless and shocking. Are you serious? Are you really Franklin Cudjoe of IMANI? When I first saw this claim on your page, I thought it was a joke, but upon further investigation, I realized it was indeed from you, the head of a policy think tank with over 20 years of experience!" wrote Dr. Acquah.

He highlighted transformative policies like One Constituency, One Ambulance; Zipline Medical Drone; Mobile Money Interoperability; Ghanacard national biometric identity; national property address system; digitalization of public services; Agenda 111; and the Zongo Development Fund, questioning how Cudjoe could dismiss their impact on the economy.

In reaction, Franklin Cudjoe took to Facebook on June 28, 2024, to lambast Dr. Acquah's critique.

He described Acquah's remarks as "disturbingly illiterate and illogical."

"I am puzzled by how some people process information. I have read some disturbingly illiterate and illogical reactions to my recent comments about Bawumia's economic stance by a certain political and communication consultant, Dr. Ekow Acquah," Cudjoe wrote.

He insisted that Vice President Bawumia should focus on addressing critical economic issues such as exchange rates, interest rates, inflation, borrowing, and debt, all of which, according to Cudjoe, have worsened under the current administration compared to former President Mahama's tenure.

"I emphasized that Bawumia should address the key economic indicators he discussed eloquently in opposition. These include the exchange rate, interest rates, inflation, borrowing, and debt. All of these are worse now than during Mahama's tenure.

"In fact, these indicators have reached unprecedented levels and have severely impacted our economy, resulting in a debt exchange that was largely achieved through aggressive depletion of our savings, ultimately leading to a $4 billion savings while we struggle in the international markets."

Cudjoe argued that the detrimental impact on Ghana's economy far outweighs the significance of Bawumia's 33 initiatives.

"How can any sane person compare this destructive neglect of basic macroeconomic management principles, which has pushed millions of Ghanaians further into poverty, to the stand-alone initiatives Bawumia has focused on? I have not claimed that those initiatives are not valuable. What I have said, and will reiterate, is that they are insignificant compared to the harm caused by the economic management team's failure to address inflation, interest rates, exchange rates, debt, and borrowing," he stated.