Speaking on GHOne TV, Cudjoe disclosed that the meeting took place when Akufo-Addo was still a flagbearer. He was accompanied by three others during the session.
Together, they took a deep look into the future of the policy — analysing projected student numbers, the cost implications, and what full implementation would demand from the state financially over the coming years.
The discussion was serious and data-driven. Cudjoe and his colleagues laid out the figures, raised concerns, and gave a clear picture of the financial burden the government would face as enrollment numbers grew under the free SHS system.
However, after Akufo-Addo won power and launched the policy, things shifted. Cudjoe says that despite their prior engagement, the advice and concerns raised by experts like himself were no longer being taken on board.
"At a point, I realised that if you advise former President Akufo-Addo, he doesn't listen," he said bluntly during the live interview.
His comments point to a pattern that many policy watchers have long observed — that the Free SHS policy, despite its popular appeal, was implemented without seriously addressing the sustainability concerns that analysts had raised from the very beginning.
Cudjoe's account is a candid reminder that access to a leader does not always translate into influence. Being heard in a room and being listened to in power are two very different things.