Ghana Is Not In A Mess Because Of COVID But Bad Govt Policies – Mahama Tackles IMF Boss

Former President John Dramani Mahama has brushed off suggestions that Ghana’s current economic mess is due to COVID-19 and the Russia/Ukraine war.

He said the recent comments Madam Kristalina Georgieva, the MD for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that the aforementioned factors are the cause of Ghana’s problems cannot be factual.

In a post on Facebook, Mahama said “while the norm in international diplomacy of being guarded in what one says is appreciated, comments by high ranking officials must be grounded on facts that take into consideration local realities and opinions.”

He noted that the incontrovertible fact is that, “Ghana is in a mess due to the bad policies of this government, which have contributed massively to the dire state of affairs.”

He cautioned that international diplomats must consider these facts and not just ignore them; lest they make wrong diagnosis and prescribe inappropriate remedies.

Speaking on the sidelines of the IMF’s engagement with the Ghanaian delegation in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Monday, 5 September 2022, Kristalina Georgieva stated: “We have started very constructive discussions already and, to the people of Ghana, like everybody on this planet, you have been hurt by exogenous shocks”.

“Firstly, the pandemic, then Russia’s war in Ukraine. We need to realise that it is not because of bad policies in the country but because of this combination of shocks, and, therefore, we have to support Ghana”, she explained.

She also indicated that Ghana is “a strong country with fantastic people”, and, as a member of the IMF, it was incumbent on the Fund to lend the country support in times of crisis.

Ghana is before the IMF for US$3 billion, a deal which Kristalina Georgieva said should be ready before the end of the year.