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Opinions of Monday, 31 October 2022

Columnist: Nana Kweku Ofori Atta (CEO Avcontech Security Masters)

Appreciate the Finance Minister instead of chastising him

Nana Kweku Ofori Atta (CEO Avcontech Security Masters) Nana Kweku Ofori Atta (CEO Avcontech Security Masters)

Honourable Ken Ofori Atta needs to be appreciated and encouraged, and not condemned for his actions as Finance Minister. He is quoted to have said that Ghana does not need the IMF for this reason, he advocated the adoption of the e-levy. Unfortunately, his position has received unprecedented and very sharp criticism from the opposition and more recently from the NPP Parliamentarians. This is most unfortunate because it would now appear that the NDC and the Parliament of Ghana are uniting with the IMF against the people of Ghana, whom they purport to represent. They have gone on further to say that Honorable Ken Ofori Atta should be removed because he cannot negotiate with the IMF especially after having said that Ghana doesn't need the IMF. We beg to strongly differ on this point and insist that it is precisely someone like Ken Ofori Atta who should negotiate with the IMF since he's likely to do so from a position of strength rather than a position of weakness. You must know that the IMF and the World Bank have historically not operated in the interest of developing countries especially in the context of a highly hostile neocolonialist geopolitical environment. So, Ken Ofori Atta should be strongly supported and backed by all the people of Ghana (and of Africa) in order to empower him in his fight to get the IMF to do the right things that will benefit Ghana and not to increase our woes. Such an attitude would also create more confidence in the cedi and help to expose the dollar and the pounds etc. as the paper tigers that they really are. It is urgent that the people of Ghana quickly awaken to the fact that we are at the crossroads of scoring a victory of strengthening our independence or suffering a major defeat otherwise. We are reminded of the late Bob Marley’s song "here comes the con man coming with his con plan..." Let us wise up as Ghanaians, put up a united front, and throw our weight behind the Finance Minister to help fight the economic hardship in our nation and Africa as a whole, rather than seek his dismissal for he is redeeming not just Ghana, but Africa as a whole from the IMF.