The vetting of Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, Minister-designate for Finance, in Parliament on Monday, January 13, 2025, saw a spirited exchange between First Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Parliament's Appointment Committee, Benard Ahiafor, and former Deputy Minister of Finance, Abena Osei Asare.

The confrontation occurred as Abena Osei Asare pressed Ato Forson on government efforts to tackle inflation, achieve a primary balance, and address the ongoing debt restructuring process.

When the Member of Parliament for Atiwa East, Abena Osei Asare, questioned the nominee about the 2024 budget and the government's progress.

Dr Forson emphasised caution, stating, "When the time comes, I will present the true state of the budget. I don’t want to speculate. Let’s be careful not to speculate."

Abena Osei Asare quickly countered, recalling how the NPP-led government had presented provisional budget numbers, which the NDC had critiqued at the time.

"But in November 2023, these were the same provisional numbers that we gave out. And yet he was able to make a declaration of the true state of the budget," she pointed out.

Her remarks prompted an interjection from Benard Ahiafor, urging her to move on to the next question.

"Can you go to your next question?" he questioned.

Undeterred, Osei Asare responded, "Can I land? This is our way of letting him know that today he says he won’t speculate, but in 2017, he made declarations on provisional numbers about the true state of the economy."

This back-and-forth between the two intensified the debate, igniting tension over the former government’s handling of financial issues.

Dr. Ato Forson, addressing the issue, stressed the need to tackle structural challenges to stabilize the economy sustainably.

He underscored that while macroeconomic strategies were important, growing the economy also relied on addressing microeconomic issues, such as job creation.


JKB/EK

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