Alan’s Advice Informed Akufo-Addo’s IMF U-turn To Save Economy – Ohene Ntow

It was Alan Kyerematen’s economic advice that compelled the President Akufo-Addo led government to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for help in 2022, Nana Ohene Ntow, a leading member of Alan’s Movement for Change has said.

Speaking on Accra-based Asempa FM’s “Ekosii Sen” radio programme on Tuesday [December 5, 2023], Nana Ohene Ntow, said Mr Kyerematen realised the “impending doom” that faced Ghana’s economy and therefore advised Cabinet to opt for the IMF deal at a time all other Cabinet members were insisting on not going to the IMF. 

He said President Akufo-Addo together with the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and other Cabinet members, including the Finance Minister, had all publicly told Ghanaians that the government will never go to the IMF again.

Nana Ohene Ntow, however, said when Alan laid bare what will happen to the country’s economy should the government decide not to go for the deal, President Akufo-Addo rescinded his decision and went for the deal.

He explained that after the government made a U-turn on his earlier position on the IMF deal, it then became difficult for government officials, including the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta to go public on the deal. It had to take Alan to do so, using his [Alan] credibility.

He said it was Alan who went public first on the IMF deal before other government functionaries gathered the courage to speak on the subject.

Nana Ohene Ntow said all the ministers felt embarrassed to speak on the IMF deal due to their earlier pronouncements on the issue, saying if the government had not gone for the IMF deal, the country’s economy could have crumbled. 

He said Alan’s contributions to the Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Party (NPP) cannot be downplayed by anybody in the party, stressing that the leader of the Movement for Change has the capacity to create jobs for the people of Ghana.

He said Alan will not burden Ghanaians with taxes like what Dr Bawumia has done under the Akufo-Addo-led government, adding that Alan believes in industrialisation and that can be achieved when the business environment is conducive to operate.

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