DDEP: Ofori-Atta is a disease – Sammy Gyamfi

The National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Sammy Gyamfi has said Finance Minister aken Ofori-Atta is a disease plaguing Ghana's economy.

Speaking on Newsfile on Saturday, 11 February 2023, Mr Gyamfi said: “This is the luckiest government we have seen in history".

"They’ve had unprecedented oil revenue, unprecedented tax revenue, and unprecedented borrowed funds and what do they have to show for it?" he asked.

“A different economy with interest rate hovering around 45%, Debt-to-DGP which is over 100% and a draconian Debt Exchange Programme which seeks to expropriate people’s investment and that is because of the reckless borrowing and expenditures they have engaged in".

"So, I say Ken Ofori-Atta himself is the disease he seeks to cure,” My Gyamfi noted.

Meanwhile, Justice Sophia Akuffo has said the government must show respect to the elderly rather than be wicked toward them by including their pension funds in the domestic debt exchange programme.

The former Chief Justice was among some pensioners who picketed the finance ministry on Friday, 10 February 2023 to register their displeasure at the government for roping their pension funds into the debt restructuring programme.

Speaking to journalists among the picketing pensioners, the former Chief Justice said: “We have had our ups and downs. A lot of us were from generations where we were encouraged to save for tomorrow and all that".

"We have been through times where all your savings become nonsense because of some government policies, then over the years, bit by bit, people have become more confident in the economy and investments”.

“Quite a number of people here today, when they retired last two years, put everything into government bonds; it is a contract and, now, all of a sudden, you virtually want to force them to agree with you that the repayment of the yield of their investment should be as you dictate it. Why?” she asked.

“Why are we in the mess? Nobody has fully explained to us".

"Yes, we took loans, what was it used for? And where is the accountability? Exactly what was it used for? You are not telling us about how you are going to be able to make things better but just that, ‘help me and I help you’. No, you help yourself first, let me see if you are doing something serious because we have seen these sorts of things too many times”, she noted.

“I am over 70 years now. I am no longer government-employed, my mouth has been ungagged, and I am talking, and I am saying that we have failed, and it is important that the elderly should be respected".

"I find this wicked, I find it disrespectful, I find it unlawful, I find it totally wrong.”