Opinions of Wednesday, 16 November 2022

Columnist: Lawrence Appiah-Osei

One man's ministry

Ken Ofori-Atta, Finance Minister and President Akufo-Addo (right) Ken Ofori-Atta, Finance Minister and President Akufo-Addo (right)

The three weeks Nana Akufo-Addo gave the 95 NPP MPs has elapsed but Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta is still the Finance Minister of Ghana. The removal of Ken Ofori-Atta has become a nightmare for Ghanaians. The President is afraid to sack him and he is not ready to resign.

When some of us say Ghana is a failed state, are we being understood? We have just one man heading one ministry and the whole country is in total disarray. Where in the world will this happen unless the citizens of the country do not know what is good for them?

Ken Ofori-Atta in an interview, said he is about to turn the economy of Ghana around. We all know, the way Ghana’s economy is messed up, it will take a miracle to turn it around in three years. So if Ken tells us he is going to turn the economy around, it means he is going to finish the full second term of Nana Addo. Isn’t that the plan anyway?

Now we have NPP MPs in parliament who don’t want the Finance Minister to be legally sacked but want to beg the President to sack him. These same MPs don’t want him to present the 2023 budget statement to parliament but want his representative to do it. Do you see the game the NPP MPs are playing with Ghanaians?

So what at all are Ken Ofori-Atta and Nana Akufo-Addo hiding that they have made Ken Ofori-Atta’s ministry a one-man ministry?

Doesn’t the NPP have people who can equally negotiate with the IMF? Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu told us the budget cannot be read on November 15, as the law says because Ken Ofori-Atta is not in the country. He said the budget may be read on November 24, when Ken will be back in the country. Are you getting annoyed with yourself as a Ghanaian?

Right now, we don’t even know the direction Ghana is going: People are not angry enough to force the President to resign; the Presidency is confused about Ken Ofori-Atta; parliament is divided as to how Ken Ofori-Atta should go; Ken himself doesn’t know when he will go. Total confusion in a country with a government.

Meanwhile, as this confusion is going on, inflation is 40.4%, the cedi is $15.00 to the dollar, our public debt is over $500 billion, our debt to GDP will be 105% in two months; cement is selling at almost GHC100 a bag, diesel is selling at over GHC100 a gallon and petrol is selling at almost GHC100 a gallon. This is the economy Ken Ofori-Atta is promising to turn around.

Look, until Nana Addo is forced to resign and take Ken Ofori-Atta with him, both will disgracefully leave the Jubilee House on January 7, 2025. My only prayer is that they will leave peacefully.

#NanaAddomustresign