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Atik Mohammed, General Secretary of the People's National Convention (PNC), says President John Dramani Mahama's call for a debate with Nana Addo is petty.

According to him, there are a lot of pressing economic issues begging the attention of the current government which needs to be addressed and not holding a debate with the opposition leader.

Speaking on Peace FM's Kokrokoo, Atik Mohammed was unimpressed with the borrowing culture of the Mahama government that is crippling the economy.

Recently, President Mahama commented on Ghana's public debt stock and threw down the gauntlet to the NPP Flagbearer for a debate over all the "contentious" statements the latter has reportedly made.

The President commenting on the economic expenditure debunked claims by the opposition party that the government had borrowed to a tune of $37 billion.

He estimated the actual value of the debt in dollar terms to be at $24 billion.

This issue seems to have generated a public debate between the ruling party and the opposition New Patriotic Party as the party's Running mate Dr. Bawumia also waded into the fray saying the president needs to be properly briefed on Ghana's debt.

“The President’s false data on the debt situation suggests either unwillingness on his part to be honest with the Ghanaian people on the reckless borrowing and where it has landed us or the possibility that his economic advisors do not tell him the whole truth and thus, he does not appreciate the true scale of the mess.

"President Mahama said yesterday that it was mathematically impossible for this NDC government to borrow $37 billion since Ghana’s debt stock was $24 billion. Again, he is so very wrong. I have noted on many occasions that the actual value of the debt in dollar terms estimated at the dollar value of the debt at the time of borrowing is some $37 billion.

This simple fact seems completely lost on President Mahama. What President Mahama needs to appreciate is that there is a big difference between the value of the debt in dollar terms at the time you borrowed the money and its book value several years later when currency depreciation is factored in," Dr. Bawumia stated.

Nana Addo accepted the President's challenge to debate him on the state of the country's economy.

But in a response to both leaders, Atik Mohammed is of the view that the debate will not put bread and butter on the tables of Ghanaians.

To him, the pertinent issue is how the President intends to treat his administration's unbridled borrowing attitude.

He stated that the execessive taxation on Ghanaians coupled with other huge debts incurred by the Mahama government as a result of borrowing is strangling businesses in the country.

Expressing his candid view about Ghana's economic status, Atik Mohammed said the economy is growing at 3.6 percent which is a potential threat to the progress of the country.

“We are managing a regrettable, a lamentable and in fact an atrocious 3.6 percent growth,” he said.

He wants the President to concentrate on rescuing businesses and also building confidence in the cedi rate as compared to the rate that the US Dollar is moving on the stock exchange rate.

In his estimate, the impending debate is mere pettiness because, "the most important thing is where has our economy got to. Because of these many debts and the excessive taxes you are playing on businesses, look at what is happening to manufacturing, in fact industries in general. How much is the contribution of industries to our GDP? Manufacturing only grew by a -2 percent which tells you that businesses are folding up. They’re collapsing because you are strangling businesses in order to service such debt.”

“We are spending more to service interest than to do capital expenditure. That is one. [2] Businesses have had to pay more and in fact we, ordinary Ghanaians, are even paying more taxes and it is causing businesses to fold up which means unemployment rate is increasing.”