John Mahama
EX-PRESIDENT John Dramani Mahama has become involved in a dispute with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) about Ghana’s current economic challenges, insisting that bad policies of the Akufo-Addo administration have landed the nation in the woes.
Managing Director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, recently said Ghana’s economy was hurt by “exogenous shocks” and pointed to the twin issues of COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine as contributing factors.
“First the pandemic, then Russia’s war in Ukraine, and that we need to realise is not because of bad policies in the country, but because of these combination of shocks, and, therefore, we have to support Ghana,” she stated on the sidelines of the Fund’s engagements with the Ghanaian delegation.
Mahama Contention
However, former President Mahama, who is seeking to lead the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), took issue with a passage in which the IMF boss looked at Ghana’s problem, arguing that the government’s poor economic decision compounded the economic woes of the country.
In a discussion with the United States Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia E. Palmer, he referred to the banking sector cleanup as one of the many poor decisions the Akufo-Addo government took to inflict pain on the economy.
According to him, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government also misappropriated funds secured in the name COVID-19 by allegedly sharing it to party officials.
Mr. Mahama, who spoke on regional security, review of Ghana’s constitution, investment in local industries, and electoral matters, indicated that the government received some GH¢30 billion in COVID-19 relief support from internal and external sources, which was more than sufficient to keep the country’s economy on good footing, if the government had acted prudently.
The NDC 2020 presidential candidate, however, was hopeful that the government would be disciplined, if the country’s programme with the IMF comes on stream.
“We have been very restrained in our opposition because we know the seriousness of the situation. We have been very generous in giving advice about what they should do,” he stated.
NPP Arrogance
“But this is a very arrogant set of people who would not want to act like they took advice from somebody else. They have this mantra; we have the men. Unfortunately, the men don’t seem to know what to do,” Mr. Mahama posited.
Ambassador Virginia E. Palmer, had earlier congratulated ex-President Mahama for his book: “My First Coup D’etat,” which she said gave her a good insight into Ghana.
According to her, the book is well-written, adding that she will recommend the book to others.
BY Ernest Kofi Adu