Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, the Minister of Agriculture, advises Ghanaians to “cool down” and await the results of their discussions with the IInternational Monetary Fund (IMF).
The NPP stalwart claims that Ghanaians will soon recognize and applaud the Akufo-Addo administration for approaching the IMF.
“Ghanaians will soon praise us for going to the IMF. The IMF is not a stranger that we are going to beg, we are prominent African member of the Fund and they are there to advise the government. The president in his wisdom has decided it’s about time we spoke to them and we are going to speak to them. The terms we will bring is the most important thing,” he told Nhyira FM in an interview.
Ghanaians will soon applaud our decision to approach the IMF. We are a significant African member of the IMF and they are there to advise the government, therefore we are not going to beg the IMF for help.
The president, in his infinite wisdom, determined that it was high time we spoke with them, and we will do so now. The most crucial factor, he said in an interview with Nhyira FM, will be the phrases we present.
He continued by saying that the current scenario is very different from the reasons why the previous administration (NDC) approached the IMF.
“There have been two unprecedented historical events in the last two years, one of which is global Covid. Since 1919 there has never been a global outbreak of a disease of that nature and we suffered that,” he emphasized.
“Then we had this European War which has never happened since 1939 which has disrupted everything in the country,” he added.
“So you cannot compare the situation between the last time we went to the IMF to what we are doing now,” the Agric Minister stated.
On Friday, June 1, President Akufo-Addo gave the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, the go-ahead to start formal negotiations with the IMF to strengthen the nation’s economy.
Since the NPP government promised Ghanaians they would utilize locally developed solutions to the country’s economic difficulties rather than seeking assistance from the IMF, the action has sparked a range of reactions and controversy.
