News

IMF team to arrive in Ghana today; bailout talks begin on Wednesday

A team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is set to arrive in Ghana today, Tuesday, July 5, 2022, ahead of a discussion with the government of Ghana on a bail-out request made to the fund.

Negotiations will begin on Wednesday, July 6, 2022.

President Nana Akufo-Addo on Friday, July 1, 2022, directed the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, to commence engagements with the Bretton Woods institution on a possible economic bail-out.

READ  NDC partly responsible for Ghana’s current fiscal problems – Bawumia

The news has been received with mixed feelings. The Government of President Akufo-Addo initially condemned the IMF on several platforms, vowing never to seek any form of support from the fund.

A statement from the Ministry of Finance noted that: “a delegation from the Fund is scheduled to arrive in Accra on Tuesday 5th July 2022, to commence in-person meetings with the Government of Ghana on Wednesday 6th July 2022.”

“The Ministry further takes this opportunity to assure Ghanaians of the Government’s commitment to successfully negotiate a program with the IMF in the coming months, in support of Ghana’s economic recovery,” the statement issued by the Public Relations unit of the Finance Ministry added.

READ  Striking universities’ senior staff give government 48 hours to pay Tier-2 contributions

Labour unions including TUC have lambasted the government for its decision to seek support from the fund.

They said government resorting to the IMF means the economy will likely reel under several restrictions and controls to be imposed by the fund.

READ  Fuel Price To Fall By GH¢1 As Four Gold-for-Oil Consignments Arrive

Civil society organisations also expressed their displeasure at the government’s request for a bail-out from the IMF. They corroborated the concerns of TUC saying the economic hardship being endured by the people of government will get worse with IMF restrictions.

Analysts suggest that it would take at least three months for a programme to be agreed upon between the parties.

Source: Citinewsroom

Tags

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button
Close
Close