President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has again rejected calls to sack Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta over economic hardships.
According to the president, the sector minister has discharged his duties excellently, and thus he cannot be relieved of his position.
“I came to office in 2017 under a stringent IMF programme. This same man was able to manage the affairs of our economy in such a way that in the four years of my first term, we were one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.
“An average growth rate of 7% a year, from the beginning of an IMF programme — an economy that allowed us to initiate our Planting for Food and jobs programme. So, somebody who has been able to do that and there is a problem or something happens which is not his fault, how do I do that (sack him)? What will be the basis? What will be the rationale?” he quizzed.
President Akufo-Addo also stressed that the finance minister’s performance over the years has been exemplary, and thus decided to renominate him in his second term.
“If we were to say he didn’t do well in the first term, then why did I renominate him for my second term? So for me, their performance my first time was excellent. Let me use that word. Excellent,” he said in an interview with Kumasi-based OTEC FM, on Monday, October 17, 2022, as part of his tour of the Ashanti Region.
Some critics of the government, including the Minority, have called for the head of the finance minister, especially after taking the country back to the International Monetary Fund.
Ghana is currently seeking support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to stay afloat, but despite the gloom, President Akufo-Addo insists all hope is not lost.
The president is not the only one who appears to be in high spirits despite the economic hardships and the cedi depreciation.
The sector minister has asked Ghanaians to be optimistic about a better future as everything showed that the country would surmount the current challenges.
“These are difficult times for us as a country, but as we keep saying, the battle is the Lord’s, and it will be done,” he assured while adding that the government had put in place measures to lessen the plight of its citizenry.