Afenyo-Markin Criticizes Mahama Administration's Unfulfilled Policy Promises

During a forum at the University of Cape Coast on February 21, 2026, Minority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin criticized the Mahama administration for failing to fulfill its key policy commitments in its first year. Addressing over 1,000 students at the inauguration of the Young Commons Forum (YCF) UCC Chapter, Afenyo-Markin stated that the government had prioritized rhetoric over action, leaving its flagship initiatives largely unimplemented.

He highlighted the administration's lack of progress on the 24-hour economy initiative, the proposed Women's Development Bank, and the pledge to raise the producer price of cocoa to GH¢6,000 per bag. "For the past year, we have seen a government that believes in rhetoric, talks more than it works," he remarked.

Afenyo-Markin also questioned the government's decision to establish a new authority to oversee the 24-hour economy, arguing that creating additional bureaucracy was counterproductive to what should be a private sector-driven program. He further criticized the introduction of a GH¢1 levy on data, suggesting that such measures increased the cost of living rather than alleviating economic pressures on citizens.

In his address, Afenyo-Markin praised the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy introduced under former President Nana Akufo-Addo, describing it as the most significant social policy of Ghana's Fourth Republic. He urged the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to rebuild trust with Ghanaians by returning to the core principles of service, discipline, and performance that defined the party's founders.

The event concluded with the inauguration of the YCF UCC Chapter's newly elected seven-member executive, marking the expansion of the youth governance and leadership initiative to the University of Cape Coast.