Prof Botchwey chaired IMF negotiations under Mahama - Seth Terkper

Former Minister for Finance Seth Terkper has refuted suggestions that he did not lead Ghana’s negotiation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) during the era of ex-President John Dramani Mahama. According to him, even though the negotiation was chaired by renowned economist Prof Kwesi Botchwey, he (Terkper) took part in all the meetings and was the one who signed off on the deal the government had with the IMF. “The fact that we had a team does not mean that the minister of finance was not at the table where the discussions were being held. I have heard that being said by academics, so they should be careful sometimes with what they say. “Yes, it is true we had a team; it was chaired by Dr Botchwey … alternating occasionally with the Chairman of the Economic Management Team. After all, it was the nation’s economic programme. He (Prof Botchwey) has rich experience – 19 years of doing these things. “So, we did have a team, but there wasn’t any of the discussion that I did not participate with my deputies,” he said in a JoyNews interview monitored by GhanaWeb. Seth Terkper’s remarks follow calls by some people for Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to be excluded from Ghana’s team for the ongoing negotiation with the IMF for a $3 billion bailout. You can also watch this episode of People & Places on GhanaWeb TV: Watch the latest episode of The Lowdown below: IB/SEA