President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said that there is no basis for him to sack the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
Speaking on OTEC FM on Monday, October 17, 2022, Ofori-Atta has discharged his duties “excellently” and so there is no need in dismissing him.
According to him, he has full confidence in the Minister who is his cousin.
He added that Ofori-Atta cannot be blamed for the economic woes the country is currently facing.
“I came to office in 2017 under a stringent IMF programme. This same man was able to manage the affairs of our economy in such a way that in my first term, we were one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.
“An average growth rate of 7% which allowed us to initiate programmes such as Planting for Food and Jobs. So somebody who has been able to do that. The current difficulties are not his fault. So how do I do it (sack him)? What will be the basis? What will be the rationale,” he said.
“If we were to say he didn’t do well in the first term, then why did I renominate him for my second term? So for me, their performance my first time was excellent. Let me use that word. Excellent,” the president added.
Akufo-Addo’s comment comes after some Ghanaians called on him to dismiss the Minister due to the poor state of the Ghanaian economy.
Meanwhile, Ghana is currently seeking support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to stay the economy afloat, but despite the gloom, President Akufo-Addo insists he will keep the Finance Minister.