Mahama also said no to IMF but he eventually went – Kamal Deen

Former President John Dramani Mahama also told Ghanaians that his administration was not going to seek support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) but he made a U-Turn to seek a bailout from the Fund, a Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Abdul Kamal Deen, has said.

He made this comment on the Big Issue with Roland Walker on TV3 Friday November 4 after a member of the communications team of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Fred Agbenyo indicated on the same show that the IMF is reluctant in supporting the Akufo-Addo administration due to mismanagement of the economy.

Agbenyo said “IMF is disappointed that Ghanaians don’t deserve where we are now but for the mismanagement of the economy. They are very skeptical, they are very reluctant.

“The government has nothing to present to us, the government is clueless, the government has no ides, I am not surprised the budget is delaying.

“There is some confusion in government, they don’t know what to present to the people, they don’t know what to tell Ghanaians.”

Responding to him, Kamal Deen indicated that this is not the first time budget presentation is delaying we have read budget in January before, the ‘Asempa Budget’,”.

He added “just like John Mahama said he wouldn’t go to the IMF but he went, we also said we wouldn’t go but went.”

Regarding the IMF discussions, the government has said the negotiation with the Fund is going well contrary to the views of some that it is not doing so.

Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said he has been part of the meetings with the Fund and can state emphatically that the discussions are going well.

Speaking on the News 360 on TV3 Monday October 31, the Ofoase Ayirebi lawmaker said “I remember many times when we said inflation had been brought down from 15 per cent to 7 per cent, people said but we don’t eat inflation but that was the value of stability.

“Today, when inflation crept at 37 per cent, though we don’t eat inflation we are all seeing how valuable stability is. The first measure of the president is to bring back stability by completing this IMF programme, it is the first thing you have to do.

“Today, we are very happy where we are contrary to reports by some that the progremme is not going well, the IMF is not happy. It is not right, I have been in those meetings myself.”

Some critics, notably economist Kwame Pianim, have taken on the government about its commitment to the negotiations, claiming they are not going well.

“The IMF negotiation is not going well [and] I know this for a fact,” Mr Pianim had stated last week in an interview with TV3‘s Paa Kwesi Asare.

He called for the sacking of the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, whom he described as without credibility to lead negotiations with the Fund, precisely because he did not support the idea of going there in the early stages.

“What the IMF is waiting for is a bold, credible pronouncement from the president as he did over the Covid.”

Sourc:3news.com