A former Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Prof Stephen Adei, has charged President Akufo-Addo to rise to the occasion and fix the leadership problem in the economic sector.
This comes as the government contemplates going to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as the economic situation in the country worsens.
According to the Deputy Finance Minister, Dr John Kumah, an IMF programme may be pursued if the current home-grown programmes fail to bring the needed economic stability and restore the investor confidence.
But speaking to Raymond Acquah on Upfront on the JoyNews channel, the former Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Board Chair explained that without proper leadership, the country will have no option but to resort to a bailout from the IMF. “We really must have a leadership that has the vision and is willing to call everybody to order and insist on really bringing the best brains together. It is a serious national challenge we face.
“I think this is a challenge which has nagged the country for many years and at this moment, we have to see the President rising up to the occasion or else Ghana is going to have serious difficulties getting out of this crisis,” he said on Thursday, June 30. Prof Adei noted that the current composition of the cabinet leaves room for some individuals to pursue their own interests rather than engaging in serious government business.
“I personally think – and here I am not talking about only President Akufo-Addo’s government – our cabinet, knowing you have all Tom, Dick and Harry… the proponents of the Constitution said the cabinet should be about 19 or so ministers; we managed to get them to about 85.
“It used to be more than 110 so that at a cabinet they make a serious decision instead of people who are thinking about whether they are going to be the next party chairman or not? No! You need a real-select team and the best of advice.”
In a related development, former President John Mahama has suggested that President Akufo-Addo should immediately, among other measures, dismiss the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, because he has failed the country.
In addition, he has asked the President to address the nation on the state of the economy to rally the support of the citizens. “He should conduct a major shakeup of his government to remove all the many dead woods that have turned the ministries into their kingdoms. Finally, he should huddle with the best brains of this country to formulate a comprehensive recovery plan for our economy,” he added.
