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Ghana: Incumbent President confident of winning second term
Ghana President., John Atta Mills
(Reuters) – Ghanian President John Atta Mills on Monday said he was confident of winning a second four-year term this year though he conceded it had been a painful decision to cut fuel subsidies, a move that has sparked violent protests in nearby Nigeria.
Ghana, the world’s second biggest cocoa producer, posted double-digit growth in 2011, thanks in part to the start up of offshore oil production, and the country is one of the more stable in West Africa.
“We have made visible progress,” Mills told a news conference, highlighting improved access to electricity and education during his three years in power.
“We have been able to maintain single digit inflation for the longest time in the history of this country, and interest rates are down. I believe the people of Ghana will recognise what we did.”
But he added that his decision in December to abandon subsidies for fuel, a move that raised pump prices by 13 percent, had been a tough one.
“It was very difficult but we had no option because the amount of subsidy we were providing could no longer continue. I wish we had other options.”
A similar move in Nigeria has sparked a wave of public and union protests.
