Asenso-Boakye Attributes NPP’s 2024 Election Loss to COVID-19

MP for Bantama, Hon. Francis Asenso-Boakye, has attributed the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) defeat in the 2024 general elections largely to the economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenge of seeking re-election after eight years in government.

Speaking in an interview with Kofi Boakye on Nkwantannanso on Opemsuo Radio, the former Minister noted that governments that remain in power for eight years often face strong resistance from the electorate.

“Generally, it is a Herculean task for any government that has spent two terms in office to convince the electorate to vote for it again,” he said, adding that some voters believe once a party has been in power for some time, it should step aside to allow others the opportunity to govern.

Hon. Asenso-Boakye explained that the outbreak of COVID-19 severely disrupted Ghana’s economic trajectory, forcing government to abandon planned interventions and redirect resources toward saving lives.

“Before the pandemic, Ghana’s economy was among the fastest-growing in the world. But because of COVID-19, all the economic plans and arrangements we had made had to be abandoned,” he stated.

He said nationwide shutdowns, closure of schools and businesses, and restrictions on movement significantly weakened the economy, a situation he believes many Ghanaians did not fully consider during the 2024 elections.

Despite these setbacks, the Bantama MP maintained that the Akufo-Addo-led administration introduced measures to stabilize and revive the economy, stressing that signs of recovery were already evident before the change in government.

“By the time we were leaving office, the economy had begun to recover, and the current government inherited that recovery process,” he said.

He cited initiatives such as the Gold-for-Oil programme as key interventions, but admitted that funding constraints caused by the pandemic stalled several development projects, which negatively affected the party’s electoral fortunes.

Hon. Asenso-Boakye further noted that Ghana’s experience was not unique, pointing out that globally, most governments that sought re-election after COVID-19 were voted out.

“After COVID-19, over 80 percent of governments that sought re-election lost,” he said.