Kwamena Duncan
A leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and former Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan, has called for the celebration of the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Ernest Addison and his two deputies, Dr. Maxwell Opoku-Afari and Elsie Addo Awadzi for saving the economy from collapse.
According to him, the Ghanaian economy was on its knees in 2022 and would have come to a halt if the Governor and his team had not intervened.
Speaking on an Accra-based radio station, Mr. Duncan said the financial support given to the government was endorsed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
His comments are coming at a time when the Minority Caucus in Parliament has announced plans to hold a protest on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, to demand the resignation of the Governor of the Bank of Ghana over allegations of financial malfeasance and mismanagement.
To him, Dr. Addison and his deputies need to be commended and celebrated for saving the economy.
“You will recall that many people doubted if the economy was in crisis because they did not hear that interest payments were not being paid in early 2022, they did not see queues at the pumps for petrol and diesel, there were no shortages of essential items on the market. And they did not hear that public sector workers including civil servants, the police and the military are not being paid their salaries. The reason was that the Bank of Ghana had provided the needed support to keep the economy going,” he pointed out.
“This is what the Governor and his Deputies, this is what they chose to do to get this country going, this is what they did. It is only an unappreciative citizenry, it is only an opposition that wants power at all cost; an opposition that unfortunately we have known them, their period in office we have seen it, the person they have selected to lead them we know him [John Mahama], but they want power at all cost. This is the opposition,” he stressed.
He continued that the IMF urged the Bank of Ghana to support the economy after a meeting with the Ministry of Finance and other stakeholders.
“A meeting with the IMF, the Ministry of Finance, and all the stakeholders, the IMF said we can’t leave a vacuum, you have to continue to support the government. If you compare with other governments elsewhere, Ghana is better off,” he added.
By Samuel Boadi