Former President John Dramani Mahama has argued that it is unsustainable for the Finance Minister to depart after concluding the budget and IMF negotiations, which is the ostensible compromise made by the majority in parliament.
In response to President Akufo-Addo‘s request, the Majority Caucus in Parliament has agreed to let the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, and the Minister of State for the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen, continue in their positions until the conclusion of the IMF negotiations.
Per the press statement released by the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Minister of Finance will stay “until the conclusion of the round of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the presentation of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy in November, 2022 and the subsequent passage of the Appropriation Bill after which time the demand will be acted upon.”
But the former leader maintained that the Minister’s removal will have no ramifications on the IMF negotiations and the preparation of the 2023 Budget.
“Budget preparation and IMF negotiations are the result of teamwork, not the work of one individual. I fail to see how the absence of the Minister will affect the preparation of the budget or the negotiations with the
Fund,” he said while speaking at a lecture on the economy on Thursday.
He reiterated that the President must not only replace the finance minister, but also reconstitute and take control of the Economic Management Team himself.