President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has defended why Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister is still at post despite numerous calls for his dismissal from his government over abysmal performance.
According to him, Ken Ofori-Atta after the ruling party was sworn into office in 2017, was able to ensure that the economy which was on the verge of collapse grew at an average of 7 per cent.
He said he cannot turn his back on someone who was able to achieve that feat for the country.
He noted that he is keeping Ofori-Atta in office because his performance for the past six years has been excellent.
“I came to office in 2017 when we were under an IMF programme. This same Ken Ofori-Atta was able to manage the economy for the first 3 to 4 years. We were then one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. We had an average growth rate of 7% a year.
“For someone who has been able to do all these, how do I turn my back on him? For me, his performance has been excellent. That is why I have great difficulty in understanding what is going on,” President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said while speaking on Kumasi-based OTEC FM, Monday, October 17.
The calls for Ken Ofori-Atta’s dismissal intensified when Kwasi Kwarteng, his counterpart in the UK was dismissed by the Prime Minister following a fallout from the country’s mini-budget he [Kwarteng] presented.
One such individual who is of the view that the minister is relieved from his duties is Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, North Tongu MP.
To him, just as Kwasi Kwarteng has been dismissed by the Prime Minister Liz Truss as the UK Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta should also go.
In a tweet, Ablakwa said, “Kwasi Kwarteng hasn’t done a fraction of the damage Ken Ofori-Atta has caused the Ghanaian economy but he gets to be sacked and Ken is showered with praises from his family member, President Akufo-Addo as Ghanaians languish in more pain. Sad — no justice in the world.”