Razak Kojo Opoku Writes: President Akufo-Addo Travels To Germany/UK Brought Home Over 50 Million Ghana Cedis Worth Of COVID-19 Vaccines At No Cost To The Taxpayers

Globally, the health of citizens in most countries is a major concern of the leaders today due to the emergence of the novel COVID-19 pandemic. And Ghana is no exception.

President Akufo-Addo’s regular media updates and frantic efforts to maneuver the global politics to secure COVID-19 vaccines to protect Ghanaians from hospitalization and death is a clear demonstration of a leader who loves his people.

Our President, therefore, deserves to be encouraged. And his gestures must be emulated by other leaders in our society. But instead, we now witness utmost condemnation or unwarranted attacks or focus on trivia issues.

This is led by Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu in the Volta region, who for strange reasons have decided to maliciously focus on the cost of the President’s trips but blatantly refused to calculate the benefits. He knows the price of everything but the value of nothing.

According to the NDC MP for North Tongu, President Akufo-Addo hired another luxurious aircraft on his recent foreign trips to the United Kingdom (UK) and Germany and that the trips on the hired jet cost the state £14,000 per hour and a cumulative 3.46 million Ghana Cedis.

But after displaying his mathematical modeling, Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa woefully failed to tell Ghanaians how beneficial President Akufo-Addo’s foreign travels were to the ordinary Ghanaian. Are you surprised? Don’t be because this is characteristic of Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa. He gained political prominence through disrespect to his party founder, lies and deception which some of us thought would now be the thing of the past at his age.

Does Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa know that the German government is giving Ghana 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines to help in the national vaccination campaign against the pandemic?
This comes following President Akufo-Addo's meeting with the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, during the President’s visit to Germany.
The donation forms part of the pledge made by Germany to make up to 70 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine available to African countries this year to help the continent fight the pandemic. Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa should tell us how many African countries have received their share so far? This is what makes President Akufo-Addo an exceptional leader.

Now, let’s assume without admitting Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa’s staggering 3.46 million Ghana Cedis of the President’s trips is true, President Akufo-Addo's visit to Germany secured 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines. Records show that AstraZeneca vaccine costs approximately $6.00 per unit dose.

The NDC MP for North Tongu now take your ‘’Makola Calculator’’, like your General Secretary testifying at the Supreme Court during 2020 failed John Mahama’s election petition, and multiply 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines by $6.00.

In conclusion, $9,000,000 worth of AstraZeneca Vaccines approximately 54million Ghana Cedis that President Akufo-Addo’s trips brought home to assist the fight against COVID-19.

Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa, can you compare 54million Ghana Cedis worth of COVID-19 Vaccines to that of your so-called colossal tune of 3.46million Ghana Cedis you allege the President spent on his recent travels to Germany/UK?

Now, Okudzeto Ablakwa should use his sharp teeth to subtract his allege 3.46million Ghana Cedis from the 54million Ghana Cedis, and definitely he will come to the realization that President Akufo-Addo has secured 50.54million Ghana Cedis worth of COVID-19 Vaccines at absolutely no cost to the taxpayers.

And I repeat Okudzeto Ablakwa knows the price of everything but value for nothing. The NDC usual propaganda to destroy the image of President Akufo-Addo shall amounts to nothing.

Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa should go back to School and study Cost Benefit Analysis well if indeed he really wants Ghanaians to take him seriously.