I regret boycotting Senchi economic forum - Osafo Marfo

One year after the National Economic Forum dubbed,” The Senchi Consensus,” organized by the government to address challenges affecting the economy, Mr. Yaw Osafo-Maafo, former minister of finance under the Kufuor regime, who was one of the invited personalities, has admitted that he feels guilty for boycotting the forum.

Speaking at the first Paul Victor Obeng Memorial Lectures on the topic: “The Man P.V Obeng” at the OLAMS Senior High School in Tema, last Friday, Mr. Osafo-Maafo said he was supposed to chair one of the sessions on the economy, but he feels so guilty of not participating, saying the notes he prepared are now stuck with him ‘forever’.

“The last encounter I would have had with him (P.V. Obeng) was, and I feel so guilty about it, was about the Senchi Consensus, P.V. called me from Senchi, and said you were to chair this session, and you couldn’t make it, please did you prepare any notes, he always called me Senior, and I said yes I did,” Osafo-Maafo stated.

Continuing, the former finance minister, speaking as one of the guest speakers, in his usual candid manner, said P.V. in respectful manner told him he would come to his (Osafo-Maafo’s) house to collect his speaking notes he prepared for the Senchi consensus. But he (Osafo-Maafo) responded saying that “I will type it before you come, we agreed that he will come to my house one evening and I heard in the news the same day that P.V had died, so that meeting didn’t come on and my notes [are] stuck with me forever,” he recalled.

Mr. Osafo Maafo, who recently received a lot of bashing for allegedly making divisive tribal comments, had earlier showered praises on PV, saying he was a true nationalist, who doesn’t mind building consensus with even those he perceived to be on the other side of the political divide.

Paul Victor Obeng, affectionately called PV, was one of the brains behind the Senchi Consensus which was organized last year to address challenging economic problems, but was boycotted by the opposition New Patriotic Party, of which Mr. Osafo-Maafo is a leading member.

The P.V. Obeng Memorial lecturer was organized by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Alumni Association, Tema Chapter, and it was in honor of the late statesman and chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).

It was attended by people from all walks of life, including the chief of the Asokore traditional area, Nana Dr. Susubiribi Krobeah Asante, who represented the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II; Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi, a Local Governance expert; Nii Adzei Annang, Member of the Council of State, Isaac Ashla Odamten, Tema clergy and a host of other personalities.

The speaker for the occasion was H.E. Dr. Kwame Saarah-Mensah, former Secretary of youth and Sports in the PNDC era and one-time Ghana’s Ambassador to India while the chairman was Prof. William Otoo Ellis, Vice Chancellor of KNUST.