Member of Parliament for the Afadzato South Constituency, Frank Afriyie has launched an attack on the New Patriotic Party, asserting that the party’s best performance on the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (CPI) was equivalent to the worst performance recorded during the first John Mahama era.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament, the MP, whose contribution to comments on the 2026 Budget and Economic Policy focused on governance, economic management, and decentralization, declared that the NDC has “no classmate” among its opponents when it comes to effective governance.
Hon. Frank Afriyie began by addressing remarks made by earlier speakers concerning the previous administration’s Economic Management Team, which he noted was often touted as being “enriched with very powerful economists.”
He then sharply shifted focus to the issue of corruption, stating that the NPP’s eight years had been marked by “relentless corruption upon corruption.”
”I hold here in my hand, Speaker, the report of the Fourth Estate,” he stated. “But five years into Akufo-Addo’s presidency, Ghana’s best score in Transparency International Corruption Perception in the CPI is 43 out of 100. This is the worst Ghana recorded in John Mahama’s era, unquote.”
He challenged the NPP, saying, “Speaker, if you are a government and the worst in your predecessor’s government turn out to be your best, then you should check yourself.”
The Legislator contended that the current positive trajectory is “a result of priority setting,” indicating a change in leadership style. “There is a new sheriff in town who says that we must manage the little we have in order to make the most impact.”
He then highlighted the allocation of the District Assemblies Common Fund, arguing that the recent government, under John Mahama, has prioritized grassroots development. He affirmed that in the last ten months, the administration has given “marvellous amounts” to all district assemblies compared to the NPP’s eight-year tenure.
Specifically, Frank Afriyie cited increases in allocations for several municipalities. For Oforikrom, the allocation under the NPP’s eight years was 1.8 million; under the current Mahama-led administration, they have been allocated a sum of 16.3 million.
Similarly, Abuakwa South received 1.6 million over the eight years of the NPP but has now been given 9.6 million by the current government. He added that another municipality received as much as 8.8 million under the ten months of the John Mahama administration.
The MP stressed that these significant allocations are tied to specific projects such as the construction of CHPS compounds, hospitals, and markets intended to deliver development “to the base.”
On the subject of decongesting Accra and unleashing jobs,he stated that increased funding is part of a broader strategy aimed at reversing the “huge housing deficit” and high unemployment among the youth in the city.
“The aim, the aspiration of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama is to ensure that we send most of these youth back to base,” the MP asserted. “We will not centralize these monies in Accra, but rather send them to the various district assemblies so that we unleash job opportunities.”
He concluded by stating that by incentivizing the economy at the village level, the government seeks to curb rural-urban migration, encourage productive services like growing food, and ultimately “decongest our road of traffic congestion” in Accra.
Story By: Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
