Ghana's president insists he won election fairly

By Thomas Naadi

Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo has insisted that he won the just concluded elections fairly. 

This is despite a petition, alleging irregularities, filed at the Supreme Court against the result by the opposition. 

In his final state of the nation address ahead of his inauguration for a second term on Thursday, President Akufo-Addo said it was good for the nation that the opposition had resorted to legal means to address their concerns.

He also urged parliament to unite and accommodate each others' views. 

Ghana’s next parliament, which will be sworn in on Thursday, has no clear majority, with both the opposition and the ruling party having 137 MPs each, with one independent MP. 

Some experts have said it could prove a challenge to Mr Akufo-Addo’s second term as bills, budgets and government contracts will have to be approved in parliament. 

On the economy, Mr Akufo-Addo said that the coronavirus pandemic had reduced Ghana’s GDP growth from a promising 6.5% to 1.9% this year, negatively affecting livelihoods. 

He also urged a bipartisan discussion on how to address the increasing rate of illegal mining which has polluted water bodies in the country. 

Opposition MPs have criticised the president for failing to acknowledge the violent incidents that led to the loss of lives during the polls and the country’s rising public debt which is over $46bn (£62bn).

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: Getty Images