'Nkunim' budget: 'Say things that are realistic, it is not a campaign platform' - Atik tells Ken Ofori-Atta

Atik Mohammed has lacerated the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta over his "Nkunim" budget presentation before Parliament on Wednesday, November 15, 2023.

The Minister forecast what government intends to do to stabilize the economy and the things it is doing already in achieving a steady progress.

Ken Ofori-Atta gave some projections saying the "overall real GDP is projected to grow at 2.3 percent and 2.8 percent in 2023 and 2024 respectively, while it is expected to record an average growth of 4.3 percent over the medium-term (2025-2027)".

He added; "Growth is expected to be 4.4 percent in 2025, and 5.0 percent by 2027...Inflation is expected to remain within the IMF programme’s Monetary Policy Consultation Clause (MPCC) of 29.4 percent, with a symmetric band of 4.0 percent at the end of 2023, and trend further down within the medium-term target of 8±2 percent by end-December 2025."

The Finance Minister also projected Ghana's economic growth to exceed GH¢1 trillion in 2024.

“The 2024 Budget is even more significant because we will cross the GHȼ1 trillion Gross Domestic Product (GDP) mark for the first time in our economic history. Let me repeat, Mr. Speaker, Ghana’s economy under President Akufo-Addo’s final year in office is projected to be valued over GH¢1 trillion in 2024 from the GH¢219.5 billion in 2016.

“Mr. Speaker, with such a milestone ahead of us, Government is protecting, at all cost, the foundation for sustained economic expansion. A foundation that has been achieved through the sweat and patience of the Ghanaian people. We pledge to protect this for all our people and especially for private sector growth”, Mr. Ofori-Atta intimated.

But to Atik, the Minister is setting unrealistic goals.

Discussing the budget on Peace FM's morning show "Kokrokoo", the former PNC General Secretary, particularly focusing on the 1 trillion economic growth promise, likened the Minister's projections to "sloganeering".

To him, the Minister's target is not achievable and advised him to give realistic projections.

"When you do this, it reduces the entire thing to sloganeering...When you do this, it doesn't help. Give realistic achievable targets so that people can measure you by them. When you say 1 trillion and by 2024 ending, you don't achieved it, what do you think people are going to say? Say things that are realistic; budget is not like a campaign platform to stand on and say anything at all. Give realistic achievable targets," he told host Kwami Sefa Kayi.

Further censuring the Minister over what he termed fanciful dream, Atik stressed "there is a huge gulf between what is reality and this dream...Which of the sectors is going to contribute to such 1 trillion? We know that even though agric is growing modestly but it doesn't have that capacity to contribute to that 1 trillion. Industry is struggling..."