General News of Saturday, 3 September 2022
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2022-09-03Ofori-Atta determined 'to get us out of this crisis' - Akufo-Addo assures
Ken Ofori-Atta, Finance Minister and President Akufo-Addo (right)
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has reiterated his support for under fire Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
The president speaking on Friday (September 2) on Day 1 of his tour of the Central Region stressed that despite public discontent towards Ofori-Atta, he believed in his competencies.
According to the President, amid the calls for the Minister's sacking, critics are failing
Read full articleto acknowledge the role Ofori-Atta played prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also referenced the role the Minister played in helping Ghana exit an International Monetary Fund, IMF, programme that the government inherited when it came into office in 2017.
“This same Finance Minister who people are calling for his blood is the very man who took us very successfully out of the IMF programme and helped us produce the 7 percent rates of growth that we have before the COVID.
“I believe that he has the same determination to work us out of this crisis as he showed at the beginning of our government,” the president added.
On the subject of a reshuffle of his ministers, President Akufo-Addo reiterated that the buck stopped with him and so when the time was ripe, he will act accordingly.
“When I am satisfied or someone is doing his work well or not doing his work well, I will act on it. If I am satisfied that the output is still strong, I will know what to do,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo ordered Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta via a July 1 statement present an economic rescue programme to the IMF.
A team from the Fund led by Carlo Sdralevich has since visited Ghana between July 6 – 13, meeting with relevant stakeholders.
Reports indicate that government is seeking US$3 billion from the fund to help stabilize the economy. Government has serially blamed the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war for the economic headaches.
Galloping inflation and a weak Cedi have piled pressure on government to act to avert an economic meltdown. Calls for Ofori-Atta to be axed have come usually from outside the party but also from notable personalities within the party.
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