Former President John Dramani Mahama has said although it is a relief to hear Madam Kristalina Georgieva, the MD for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reaffirm the commitment of the IMF to support Ghana in these perilous times, the fact remains that Ghana is in a mess due to the “bad policies” of the Akufo-Addo-led government, which have contributed massively to the dire state of affairs.
Mr Mahama’s comment is in direct response to Ms Georgieva’s statement that Ghana’s current economic woes are not a result of bad policies of the Akufo-Addo government.
Speaking on the sidelines of the IMF’s engagement with the Ghanaian delegation in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Monday, 5 September 2022, Kristalina Georgieva stated: “We have started very constructive discussions already and, to the people of Ghana, like everybody on this planet, you have been hurt by exogenous shocks”.
“Firstly, the pandemic, then Russia’s war in Ukraine. We need to realise that it is not because of bad policies in the country but because of this combination of shocks, and, therefore, we have to support Ghana”, she explained.
She also indicated that Ghana is “a strong country with fantastic people”, and, as a member of the IMF, it was incumbent on the Fund to lend the country support in times of crisis.
But Mr Mahama disagrees with the Managing Director of the IMF.
Mr Mahama in a Facebook post noted that while the norm in international diplomacy of being guarded in what one says is appreciated, comments by high-ranking officials must be grounded on facts that take into consideration local realities and opinions.
He noted that the incontrovertible fact is that, “Ghana is in a mess due to the bad policies of this government, which have contributed massively to the dire state of affairs.”
He cautioned that international diplomats must consider these facts and not just ignore them; lest they make wrong diagnoses and prescribe inappropriate remedies.
Ghana is before the IMF for US$3 billion, a deal which Kristalina Georgieva said should be ready before the end of the year.
Below are details of Mr Mahama’s post:
It is a relief to hear Madam Kristina Grigoreva reaffirm the commitment of the IMF to support the people of Ghana in these perilous times.
Ghanaians are undeserving of the uncertainty and hardship resulting from the ineptness of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration that has contributed massively to this mess.
While the norm in international diplomacy of being guarded in what one says is appreciated, comments by high-ranking officials must be grounded on facts that take into consideration local realities and opinions.
The incontrovertible fact is that Ghana is in a mess due to the BAD POLICIES of this government, which have contributed massively to the dire state of affairs.
International diplomats must consider these facts and not just ignore them; lest they make the wrong diagnoses and prescribe inappropriate remedies.
The consequences of the government’s ill-advised policies such as the botched, insensitive and dubious cost of closing down locally owned banks, unbridled levels of corruption and lack of accountability including the mismanagement of COVID-19 funds, unconventional borrowing practices riddled with opaqueness and conflicts of interest, resulting in an unsustainable debt envelope, costly, experimental and untested programmes, etc., cannot be ignored in understanding the current dire state of the Ghanaian Economy.
Therefore, the rhetoric that emanates from international diplomats must reflect local realities. The Ghanaian economy must be managed first for the Ghanaian who lives and experiences it daily, not just for an international audience.
