The President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, says he and other policy experts eventually lost confidence in their ability to influence former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, arguing that their advice was often ignored despite repeated engagements.
Speaking on Starr Chat on Starr FM with Bola Ray, Cudjoe said early discussions with Akufo-Addo, particularly around the Free SHS policy, began around 2014–2015 when he was still a presidential candidate.
“We told him, look, if you’re going to do this major thing, you’ve got to be careful. How are you going to fund it?” he recalled, noting that they proposed a more targeted funding approach.
However, he said the then-candidate insisted corruption reduction would generate enough resources to fund the policy.
Cudjoe revealed that despite continued engagements after Akufo-Addo became president, his influence gradually diminished.
“I realised at a point that if you advise this man, he doesn’t seem to be listening,” he stated.
He added that concerns raised by civil society on governance issues were often not acted upon, leading to frustration among policy advocates.
“We said, look, you need to rein in some of the people making your government unpopular,” he said.
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Cudjoe further noted that by 2022, IMANI Africa had effectively stepped back from advising the administration, concluding that their input was no longer impactful.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh/Abigail praise Pabai
