President Akufo-Addo has refuted former President, John Dramani Mahama's assertion that he initiated the free Senior High School (SHS) policy, dismissing it as "ridiculous."

He pointed out past criticisms from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) leadership regarding the policy's feasibility.

Speaking at the official unveiling of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer's running mate for the 2024 elections in Kumasi on July 9, 2024, Akufo-Addo emphasized that the NDC is not a credible alternative for Ghanaians.

"Today, the free Senior High School, the same people that criticized it and said all sorts of things about it, are claiming that they implemented it. We will take it like that," Akufo-Addo said.

"We will take it like that because as God is alive, He is not asleep."

Akufo-Addo criticized Mahama for what he sees as a reversal on the policy.

"This leader criticized us when we said we were going to implement the Free SHS policy. Now that Ghanaians have accepted the policy, he is saying he is the one who introduced Free SHS. Have you ever heard such a thing?"

He continued, "He indeed said that we are forgetful people. Will we forget this too? Today, the leader of the NDC claims he is the one who introduced Free SHS.

"If he introduced the policy, why did he criticize us when we intended to introduce it? He said if he had 2 billion cedis, he would not invest it in free education."

In a media engagement on July 7, 2024, Mahama denied allegations that he opposed free SHS, stating that as the originator of progressive free SHS, he supported measures to enhance its benefits.

"I support any bill that will improve our education to make it sustainable, to afford quality education for our children. So yes, any bill that would achieve this is something that I will support," Mahama stated.