NDC MP makes allegation against the finance minister
Govt makes U-turn on the decision to go to IMF
The Member of Parliament for Ashaiman, Ernest Henry Norgbey, has alleged that the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, refused a direct instruction from the president to place a call to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at a point when he believed the country badly needed the assistance.
According to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had asked the minister to start the process for support from the international body much earlier, but the minister would just not adhere to the instructions.
He made this known when he spoke with Kwesi Parker Wilson, host of Oyerepa Breakfast Time on Kumasi-based Oyerepa TV.
“And let me tell you one secret; when the president asked the finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, to place a call to the IMF, he refused. It had to take the president to impress upon the Information Ministry to release the statement,” he claimed.
It would be recalled that in July 2022, President Akufo-Addo instructed the Minister of Finance to start processes to engage with the IMF.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, on Friday, July 1, 2022.
According to the statement, the finance minister had been instructed by the president to seek the IMF’s support for an economic programme put together by the government of Ghana.
“The President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has authorised Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta to commence formal engagements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), inviting the Fund to Support an economic program put together by the Government of Ghana,” the statement said.
Among other things, the ministry of information says the IMF support will provide “balance of payment support as part of a broader effort to quicken Ghana’s build back in the face of challenges induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, and recently, the Russia-Ukraine crisis.”
This development came as a twist to an earlier position by the government on the possibility of an IMF bailout.
Meanwhile, GhanaWeb is accepting nominations for the prestigious GhanaWeb Excellence Awards – Youth Edition.
Click here to nominate.
EA/BOG
Ernest Norgbey is the MP for Ashaiman