Minister of Finance's claims ignite controversy as minority leader accuses him of deepening woes

The Minority leader, Cassiel Ato Forson, has vehemently refuted the claims made by the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori Atta, stating that Ghana has "turned the corner" despite the significant challenges faced by the country over the last three years.

In a fiery response, Forson accused the minister of deepening the country's woes instead.

Addressing the issue in Parliament after the finance minister's statement, the Minority leader expressed his discontent, saying, "Mr. Speaker, let our minister not say anywhere that he has turned the corner; he has rather deepened our woes."

What Ken Ofori-Atta said:

During the presentation of the 2023 Mid-Year Budget Review in Parliament, Ofori-Atta had remarked, "We have avoided the unimaginable, but what could have been so easily possible under different leadership circumstances."

Highlighting the multitude of adversities faced by the nation, the finance minister continued, "Mr. Speaker, it is no exaggeration to say we cannot find another period in our history where so many different headwinds hit our economy at the same time with unrelenting speed and scale. Thankfully, as the numbers are beginning to show and as many Hon. Members of the House have indicated to me in our engagements, we have, together as a nation, turned the corner…"

He further added, "… With a lot of effort, we have managed to avoid empty shop shelves for medicines and other essentials; we have seen no shortages of food; we have been spared the frustrating spectre of long queues for fuel at our filling stations; and, we have managed, in spite of all the challenges, to keep the lights on."

YNA/WA