The National Democratic Congress (NDC) party launched its 2016 manifesto in Sunyani, last Saturday in the Brong Ahafo Region.
Various speakers, including President John Dramani Mahama, Alban Bagbin, Nana Oye Lithur and Fifi Kwetey made some claims at the event, with some quoting statistics.
Out of eight of such claims which were fact-checked by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), only one of them was found to be entirely true.
Below is the breakdown of the personalities, their claims and the verdicts the fact-checking team arrived at.
President John Dramani Mahama
Claim 1: This record (corruption) is even made clearer if you analyse Ghana’s course on the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index. This is the most credible corruption perception index in the world. Here again, our record is better than any other year between 2001 and 2008
Verdict: Half True
Claim 2: Ghanaians are living longer per the Human Development Report of an average of 63 years life expectancy in Ghana. On this composite index, we are second only to Cape Verde in West Africa and far ahead of other countries in the same sub-region.
Verdict: Half True
Hon. Alban Bagbin
Claim 1: “Ghana is the second largest economy in West Africa after Nigeria and the 12 largest in Africa."
Verdict: Entirely True
Claim 2: Ghana has the "highest national income" amongst its neighbours
Verdict: True but Misleading
Claim 3: The quality of life of Ghanaians has increased tremendously…the life expectancy of Ghanaians has improved from 58 years in 2008 to 64 years in 2012. This means that Ghanaians live longer and better lives than they did in 2008.
Verdict: Mostly False
Nana Oye Lithur
Claim 1: In 2008, they registered 1,640 households. As we speak today, H.E. President John Dramani Mahama has registered 217,000 households under LEAP.
Verdict: Not Verifiable
Fifi Kwetey
Claim 1: “But listen, even though they [The NPP] had so much more revenue than us, between 1993 to 2000…NDC was able to build houses...How many houses did NPP build? Zero, not even one chamber and hall! Not even one single room was completed in eight years of the NPP.
Claim 2: Now under transport, JM has brought about the largest investment in the history not just in Ghana but in Africa. 1.5 billion dollars that has been invested in transforming the ports of Ghana.
Verdict: True but Misleading
As part of its project to promote issues-based and fact-based campaigning, the MFWA has commenced a project to fact-check claims and allegations being made by key political stakeholders in the electioneering process.
The fact-checking project is being implemented with funding support from Germany’s leading media development organisation, DW Akadamie.
A dedicated team of experienced journalists and researchers have been engaged and trained for the fact-checking of campaign claims based on a fact-checking Instrument.
Fact-checkers also have back-up support from international fact-checking experts. Claims are fact-checked by cross-checking claims with existing empirical data from credible and trusted national and international institutions.
Source: Media Foundation For West Africa (MFWA)
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The entire analyses are bogus, n*o*n-sensical and unintellectual. A whole media institution like MFWA coming out with such non-professional socio-economic analyses? We are doomed as a nation to have MFWA (a whole media-watchdog) coming out with such analyses. NDC manifesto launch and their manifesto has over 400 propaganda claims and MFWA just "fact-checked" only 8? What criteria have they used to select these 8? Even their so-called analysis is political, unintelligent an should be discarded by well-meaning Ghanaians. Bawumia also made over 200 claims and the same MFWA selected only 8 and did a spurious analyses on them and came up with misleading verdicts. MFWA should come again.
I thought they will adduce evidence as to why something is misleading, or half true. Anyway, is NDC touting it as an achievement that they have registered more households under LEAP? What is the meaning of the acronym LEAP? If you've registered more households, it means Ghanaians are poorer and also don't have access to bank loans because they're too expensive, so you have to dole out monies from LEAP for them before they can start a business!
uszelesz analysis. What is the meaning of not true but misleading? what is half truth in analysis of this nature. you wastedd this opportunity
This org led by a 'professor' is dead, why will you not give a contrary view to support your assessment? These guys're just not braining at all abaaaaa!!!
EVEN A 1ST CENTURY DOG WILL NOT FALL FOR THIS LAZY ANALYSIS AND ANYONE WHO READS THIS ANS WILL BUY IT IS SIMPLY AN AFRICAN MONGREL WHO SCAVENGES ON A HEAP OF GARBAGE. BECAUSE THE NPP SCALEWAGS WILL ALWAYS FEED THERE. BUT A DISCERNING PERSON WILL ASK, WHAT PREAMBLES IS PUT OUT BY THE GROUP TO CONTEST THE CLAIMS OF THE NDC. AS WE KNOW, THERE ARE VARIOUS SOURCES WHERE THESE CAN BE CHECKED, AND THE LAST TIME I DID, THE ONLY DISPARITIES ARE THAT THE FIGUERS KEPT CHANGING TO CORRESPOND TO THE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS. IN THE CASE OF THE LEAP, MASLOC, AND OTHER SOCIAL INTERVENTION PROGRAMES. THIS IN TURN IMPROVES THE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX. THIS AND OTHER INDICES PUT TOGETHER PAINTED A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR A HIGHER GDP GROWTH. THIS HOWEVER DOES NOT REFLECT THE GENERAL WELL BEING OF GHANAIANS, SINCE OUTRIGHT SUCCESS CAN BE ACHIEVED BY A PROCCESS. IT IS NOT AN EVENT. BUT DANGER LOOMS, IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT THAT THERE WILL BE A CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT. ALL THESE PRUDENT ECONOMIC GAINS AND THE GIANT STRIDES THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT HAS TAKEN WILL BE WASTED.
What I don't get is not what the NDC says but the attributions of MFWA - What does -true but misleading- mean?? And how does a truth become misleading? I think a truth can only be misleading if the interpreter decides to look at it from an obscure perspective. The loose fact check and the bad results is what I think is misleading.
I agree absolutely with Yaw, these are lazy responses and not worthy of qualifying as a solid fact checking exercise. Tell is what the actual facts are and not just passing a verdict without letting us know the basis of your verdict.
NDC manifesto is toilet paper, i bought several copies and distributed it as free toilet paper at the various public latrines in and around Nima where it is widely patronised by those with running stomach.
This is a good first step in stopping politicians who want to be taken seriously from lying to us. NDC is full of liarss and theeeefs and this december, they will meed a ghastly end as the NPP elephant crushes that stupppppid umbrella and toss it into the toilet where it belongs. arise and vote for change
WHAT LAUGHABLE RESPONSES - PLEASE ATTACK THE CLAIMS WITH FACTS AND VERIFIABLE EVIDENCE!! NOT JUST LAME COMMENTS OF "TRUE" "HALF TRUE" ETC. LAZY FOUNDATION OF LAZY INTELLECTUALS.