Flagship programs are secured under IMF, Deputy Finance Minister
IMF team arrives in Ghana
Director of Research at the Institute of Economic Affairs, Dr John Kwakye, has called on the government to ensure that the country’s flagship programs, as well as the poor and vulnerable in society, are protected, even as the country has begun talks with the International Monetary Fund.
According to him, even though the Ghana is seeking assistance for its own programme, some measures must be in place to protect already existing programmes.
“I expect the government to go with a strong proposal that will protect the vulnerable groups in Ghana and the government’s flagship programme.”
“It is true that we are going with our own programme but what will be taken to the IMF may need to be negotiated and some tweaks or concessions may be made,” he said in an Asaase Radio engagement on July 5.
Dr Kwakye however intimated that “The IMF always has a shadow policy for every country, thus, when a government presents their policy to them then they marry them to each other.”
Meanwhile, a team from the International Monetary Fund have arrived in Ghana to begin formal engagements for financial assistance.
Deputy Finance Minister, Abena Osei-Asare, had earlier stated that key developmental projects will not be affected by government’s decision to seek financial assistance from the IMF.
She said, “We have plans in place that we believe will help us stabilize the economy… other bilateral neighbours will also come in to help us in building back the economy.”
“From 2017 to 2019, we still implemented the school feeding under an IMF programme and we even expanded it. In 2017 when we came it was around 1.3 million children [benefiting from school feeding], but in 2019 we had moved to almost two million children under an IMF programme. In September 2017 under an IMF programme, we did implement Free Senior High School programme.”
“So, like I am saying the government will do everything possible to protect social intervention programmes that we believe will protect livelihoods and also cause the people who are economically low to thrive,” Osei-Asare earlier said.
SSD/MA
Dr. John Kwakye, Director of Research-IEA