COVID was devastating but govt deliberately forget to talk about huge monies received - Ablakwa

The NDC Member of Parliament for North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says it is time the government stopped using the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse for our collapsing economy.

According to him, the Nana Addo-led government has been ‘reckless’ in spending throughout the outbreak of COVID-19 despite support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

He maintained that the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have exposed the Nana Addo-led government "big time".

He said measures should have been taken to cut down the bloated size of goverment.

"Look, as a country, where we are now, this collapsing economy, do we still need a seperate Ministry for Agric and Fisheries? Do we still need a seperate Ministry for Railways and Transport? Do we still need a seperate Ministry for Chieftaincy and Tourism? Do we still need a seperate Ministry for Sanitation and Local Government? Do we still need a seperate Ministry for Information and Communication? These are criticial questions we should be askng ourselves. We can merge them," he said.

He said the Covid-19 pandemic brought lots of money for government, as "we had more than US$6billion".

"IMF gave us money, World Bank gave us money, and other donor partners, including WHO . . . in Ghana we suspended our Fiscal responsiblity which allowed the President to go for money from the Stabilization Fund, to even go for money from Bank of Ghana and Bank of Ghana on our blind side printed over GHc 55 billion . . .” he chronicled.

“Everyday when they talk about COVID they forget to talk about this side as well and I don't think they forget, it is deliberate becasue if COVID hadn't come all these monies wouldn't have come in..." he said on NEAT FM’s morning show, 'Ghana Montie'.

Adding that, “Yes COVID was a challenge but it came with a lot of advantages”.

"If your leadership is weak and you don't have strong shock absorbers the COVID-19 and Russia/Ukraine war will espose you . . . COVID has exposed us that we were always a vulnerable nation, that the so called solid economic management team were not even up to liquid".