Ken Ofori-Atta has proven to be ’empty’ – Mahama

By Justice Dzido On Jul 2, 2022

Former President John Mahama has asked President Nana Akufo-Addo to sack Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and not allow him to be part of negotiators as the country have headed to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for financial assistance.

According to him, the Finance Minister has proven not to have the knowledge and understanding about financial duties, adding that, he has lost the credibility and the trust and confidence of stakeholders in the Ghanaian economy.

“The Finance Minister who has supervised the disastrous collapse of the economy cannot and should not be part of the team of negotiators. He has lost credibility and the trust and confidence of stakeholders in our economy. President Akufo-Addo must take a bold decision to replace his finance minister immediately with a more assured and competent person who is willing and able to work tirelessly to turn our almost hopeless situation around” he made it known in a Facebook post.

Below is the full speech

I welcome President Akufo-Addo’s decision to formally engage the IMF with the view to entering into a programme under the Fund. Though belated, it should mark an important step towards addressing the dire economic situation, which has left Ghanaians wallowing under intense suffering and hardships.

Beyond the announcement of engagement with the IMF, a comprehensive home-grown programme should be fashioned out and presented to the Fund for support. It is imperative that a team of skilled and competent negotiators is put together to obtain the best set of measures with the Fund.

The Finance Minister who has supervised the disastrous collapse of the economy cannot and should not be part of the team of negotiators. He has lost credibility and the trust and confidence of stakeholders in our economy.

President Akufo-Addo must take a bold decision to replace his finance minister immediately with a more assured and competent person who is willing and able to work tirelessly to turn our almost hopeless situation around.

In addition, given his obvious failures, the Vice President must be relieved of his responsibility as Chair of the Economic Management Team to enable the President to reconstitute the team.

We must draw useful lessons from this episode and avoid cheap politicking with the economy; that can only yield the disastrous outcomes that have brought us here.