President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo inherited projects that were self-financing and were created out of the programme the Mahama administration entered with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Tamale North Member of Parliament, Alhassan Suhuyini, has said.
For instance, he said, the Ghana National Gas Project was developed out of the programme under Mahama.
When the New Patriotic Party (NPP) took over governance of the country in 2017, he said, the new administration extended the Mahama-IMF programme due to the benefits but later squandered all the gains made hence, the current challenges facing the country for which the Ghana is returning to the Fund.
Speaking on the New Day show with Johnnie Hughes on TV3 Tuesday July 5 while commenting on the decision by the government to go to the Fund, he said “If the government, when it inherited the benefits of the IMF programme and extended it, had done in areas that will be able to pay for themselves like the Ghana Gas is paying for itself the ports are paying for themselves, we would not be here today.”
For his part, the Member of Parliament for Bortianor-Ngleshie Amanfro, Sylvester Mathew Tetteh, blamed the situation on the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic as well as the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war on global economies should not be underestimated.
Mr Tetteh said the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have the right to taunt the government for going to the IMF when it said in the past that it won’t.
But the fact is, he said, the world is not in normal times hence, every country is finding avenues to survive.
“For me, the back and forth about the IMF doesn’t solve the problems. I have said the NDC has the right to score political point with respect to our position when they went to IMF. For me, politically I give it all to them.
“Going to IMF is not a crime, we are a member of the IMF, I have said that on may occasions. So, for me, to the NDC, they have the bragging right to say that we said were not going to the IMF and today you are in the IMF. On the surface of it, they have the right to brag with it .”
He added “We are back to the IMF because we are not in normal times, nobody should downplay the effect of Covid 1-9 and then Russia-Ukraine war.”
The Government on Friday July 1 announced that it was seeking support from the IMF.
The Ministry of Finance has announced in a statement that the delegation from the IMF is scheduled to arrive in Accra, today Tuesday July 5.
Subsequent to the directive by the President of the Republic of Ghana, the Ministry said it has commenced engagement with the the Fund to support Ghana’s economic programme.
“Pursuant to this, a delegation from the Fund is scheduled to arrive in Accra on Tuesday 5th July, 2022, to commence in-person meetings with the Government of Ghana on Wednesday 6th July, 2022.
By Laud Nartey|3news|Ghana
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