Former Deputy Finance Minister Stephen Amoah has praised Dr Cassiel Ato Forson for his performance so far, but insists that the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) cannot yet claim to have outperformed the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.

Speaking in an interview on Citi FM on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, Dr Amoah argued that the current government inherited an economy that had already begun recovering under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme introduced by the administration of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

“Ato is doing well, but they are not better than NPP,” he said.

Using a medical analogy to illustrate his point, Dr Amoah said the previous administration had already stabilised the economy before leaving office, although some effects of the crisis were still visible.

Ato Forson will be used as 'scapegoat' after 2028 elections – Paul Yandoh

“What Ato and the NDC inherited is like a person who contracted an infection and showed symptoms such as pale eyes, pale palms, and loss of appetite. A medical doctor then treated the infection to the point where it disappeared,” he explained.

“However, the pale palms, eyes, and other symptoms would take some time to clear. That is the stage at which Ato and the NDC took over.”

According to Dr Amoah, it is too early to conclude that the current administration has performed better economically, particularly because the full impact of its policies has not yet been measured.

“Even now, can you point to the NDC’s completed work or product that can be measured as a percentage of our GDP?” he asked.

Dr Amoah also argued that the NDC government undertook limited spending during its first year in office because several approvals were still pending before Parliament, and the administration had to comply with conditions attached to the IMF programme it inherited.

“Ato has now started spending. Throughout last year, they did not spend significantly because many items were still undergoing parliamentary approval, and they also had to meet IMF conditionalities,” he said.

The former deputy finance minister urged Ghanaians to reserve judgment on the government’s economic management, stating that future reports from the Auditor-General would provide a clearer picture of public spending and fiscal discipline.

“Do you know how much they have spent so far on the emoluments of their appointees? We do not know, so let us wait and see,” he added.

NA/MA

'Hypocrite, you are the biggest threat to our survival as NDC' - Anyidoho slams Pratt