Ghana’s outgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo is facing backlash on social media after he unveiled a statue of himself during a tour of the country’s western region.
The monument is intended to honor the development initiatives overseen by the President during his time in office, said Regional Minister Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah.
But many Ghanaians have derided its installation – outside a hospital in the town of Sekondi – as ‘self-aggrandisement’.
“The people of the Western Region deserve better than these selfish displays,” wrote opposition member Emmanuel Armah Kofi-Buah on X.
Akufo-Addo, who will step down in January after two terms in power, boasted that he has fulfilled 80% of his promises to Ghanaians.
He unveiled the monument, prominently placed in front of the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital in Sekondi, on Wednesday during his visit dubbed a ‘thank you tour’.
During the ceremony, Darko-Mensah, who oversees the Western Region, highlighted several key projects initiated under the President.
But the statue has sparked a wave of criticism, with some Ghanaians questioning its significance, while several key projects remain unfinished.
“It would be admirable if the president had posterity recognize and appreciate his work,” one X user wrote.
A section of the public is calling for the statue – photos of which have gone viral – to be removed after the president leaves office.
But not everyone is critical; some see it as a recognition of Akufo-Addo’s contributions to the country’s development.
“He is very deserving of this excellent monument. The greatest president I have ever had. You will be missed by Ghanaians,” one person wrote, adding that Akufo-Addo was the “founder of Ghana’s free education system.”
During his tour, the 80-year-old president has identified his policy of abolishing high school fees as his “most important legacy.”
His visit also contributed to the national campaign of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP). The Western Region, in the southwest, is one of 16 regions in the country.
The President urged people there to vote for his deputy, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, in next month’s general elections.
He will be the NPP’s candidate and Akufo-Addo said a vote for him would mean the continuation of the party’s policies and projects.
Bawumia’s main challenger will be former President John Dramani Mahama, who is looking for a comeback under the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The high cost of living is a key campaign issue in Ghana, Africa’s largest gold producer.
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