Former President John Mahama has again criticized the Akufo-Addo administration’s management of the economy, calling it unacceptable.

In his view, the government has tried to cover economic challenges with “sloganeering, public relations, populism, divisive rhetoric, and plain political deception.”

“Beyond these spirited linguistic acrobatics, the plain truth which we all see and feel is that the Ghanaian economy is in deep crisis,” Mr. Mahama said.

“At the micro-level, we feel the heavy impact of a troubled economy when we go to the market and find prices of basic items rising with alarming rapidity. We also feel it when we go to the fuel station and find that the already high price of fuel has increased again.”

“Importers feel the pinch because duties at the ports have become impossible to pay due to taxes slapped on them,” he added.

All these challenges have come despite the promises of a better standard of living, Mr. Mahama said.

“This is a direct result of the mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy by its current managers.”

“The present economic decline is even more shocking when viewed against the backdrop that this has been the most fortunate government in the history of Ghana in terms of the quantum of resources it has received,” the former President.

He added that these challenges have come despite inheriting an economy that had overcome commodity price falls, a power crisis, and lower oil revenue.

“The Akufo-Addo administration has “brought this economy to its knee in ways that are totally unacceptable.”

Mr. Mahama was speaking at a public lecture to round off his ‘Thank You’ tour.

The lecture was themed, ‘ThankGhana, Social Justice and A Sustainable Economy’ and was held at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Accra.