Economic dialogue a smokescreen for Mahama’s missing plan – Amin Adam
Former Finance Minister Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam has strongly criticised President John Mahama’s decision to establish a planning committee for a National Economic Dialogue (NED), labelling it as a diversionary tactic to cover up for the absence of a clear economic strategy.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, January 28, the Karaga MP described the initiative as unnecessary and a “misplaced priority”, asserting that it seeks to mask the president’s “baseless claims” of inheriting a struggling economy.
“The president doesn’t need a dialogue to understand the context of the Ghanaian economy,” Dr. Amin Adam remarked.
“At best, this dialogue is an attempt to conceal the president’s lack of an economic plan and to whitewash his unfounded assertions about inheriting a bad economy.”
According to Dr. Amin Adam, Ghana’s economic data reflects a strong recovery, rendering the proposed dialogue unwarranted.
He cited key indicators such as international reserves of $9 billion as of December 2024, which provides for four months of import cover—exceeding the IMF’s three-month benchmark.
He also highlighted an average GDP growth rate of 6.4%, trade balance and current account surpluses, and reduced fiscal deficits recorded in 2024.
“These figures demonstrate that the fundamentals of the economy are strong, and we are in a phase of accelerated recovery,” he stated.
Dr. Amin Adam further criticised the timing and intent of the dialogue, arguing that President Mahama should have comprehensively studied the economy’s current state before making campaign promises.
He also questioned the relevance of the dialogue, drawing parallels to a similar initiative under Mahama’s administration in 2014, which he says failed to deliver results.
“This is not the first time the NDC government has organised a National Economic Dialogue,” he recalled.
“They did the same in 2014 after the 2012 elections. What became of it? They failed to implement the recommendations and mismanaged the economy, culminating in an IMF programme they couldn’t complete before leaving office in 2016.”
Dr. Amin Adam urged Ghanaians to hold President Mahama accountable for his campaign promises and assured that Parliament would rigorously scrutinise the government’s policies during the presentation of the 2025 Budget Statement.
“The Ghanaian people deserve real leadership and practical solutions—not an attempt to shift responsibility to a committee whose recommendations may never see the light of day.
“This dialogue is nothing but a diversion,” he concluded.