NDC General Secretary suggests American gov't influenced Prez Akufo-Addo with an award

The General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah has suggested that the American government has influenced President Akufo-Addo with an award, favourable comments and promise of aid hence his "indecent haste" to ratify an unfavourable military agreement between the two countries.

According to Mr. Nketiah, the Exemplary Leadership Award presented to President Akufo-Addo by the Whittaker Group on a recent trip to the USA could have been part of the strategy to get the President to accept the terms of the agreement.

Addressing a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Accra on Thursday, Mr. Nketiah said placatory comments by US Ambassador Robert Jackson who described the President as a visionary leader was meant to cajole and soften him to support the deal which would make Ghana a target for terrorists.

He said, if Ghana accepts the agreement it would amount to a collective betrayal of the AU because as a leading member (of the AU), the country must strive to maintain its sovereignty at all costs.

"Despite the groundswell of public criticism President Akufo-Addo appears to be in an indecent haste to get parliament to ratify it. The minority in Parliament has raised several concerns, so has civil society and well-meaning Ghanaians with vast experience in security and international agreements," Mr. Nketiah said at a press briefing on Thursday in Accra.

"...Honourable Nitiwul, the Minister of Defence appointed by President Akufo-Addo, his lack of candour and incoherent defence of the proposed agreement is a disservice to the Ghana military establishment."

He said the attempt by the Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul to draw parallels between the proposed deal and another agreement under the NDC was extremely desperate given that the current agreement was wide-ranging with no bounds.

But the United States Ambassador to Ghana, Robert P. Jackson believes an investment of $20million in the Ghana Armed Forces in one year as part of the Ghana-US defence cooperation was a ‘pretty significant return’ that Ghana ought to be grateful.

“$20million being invested in the Ghanaian Armed Forces in one year is a pretty significant return,” he said.

Based on an earlier memoranda signed in February 1998 and April 2015, the US government has requested a new defence cooperation with Ghana.

The previous agreements were not known to Ghanaians because they were not taken to Parliament for ratification, even though US military has been in the country under those agreements.

Some variations in the new agreement as compared to the old ones have generated a public discourse after it leaked. 

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