I have observed a few comments on social media attacking the competence of Ken as Finance Minister. Is that the fact?
Currently, there’s pressure on him to be sacked or for him to resign. Others claim due to his incompetence, others say he’s out of his depth. Some also say for the optics and others say to instil confidence in the economy.
IS KEN INCOMPETENT?
The data does not support this assertion. Let’s look at Ghana’s real GDP growth over the past 8 years.
2014 – 2.86%
2015 – 2.12%
2016 – 3.37%
2017 – 8.13%
2018 – 6.20%
2019 – 6.51%
2020 – 0.51% (Covid period)
2021 – 5.36% (post covid recovery)
2022 – 3.6 % (Russia – Ukraine war)
This basic data clearly shows the steep impact of Covid-19 and the impact of the Russia-Ukraine War had/is having on the economy.
SHOULD KEN BE SACKED?
There’s nothing wrong for people to call for Ken to be sacked because when people are in distress, their actions are fueled more by their distress and discomfort.
Others is fueled by mischief and a dislike for Ken. He has simply been a target for attack ever since he was appointed simply for being the son of Jones Ofori Atta (the President’s uncle)
, even though the data shows he was performing creditably.
However, the TIMING for the call does not make sense simply because he’s leading Ghana’s IMF negotiations. We are at a critical stage so do we want the President to sack him now?
Should he be sacked later?
In politics, optics matter a lot. Competence alone is sometimes not enough. Sometimes sacrifices are made just to appease the populace and for various reasons i.e to give the populace hope of a new beginning. Therefore, sometimes people are sacrificed not because they erred but simply for the optics.
There’s also strong anti-Ken sentiment for various reasons… even within the ruling party… some for unjustified reasons. The President trusts Ken’s competence but at this stage his hands may have been forced.
If I was in Ken’s shoes, I will resign after the IMF negotiations have been completed.
Afterall, nipa b3 y3 bi.. w’amba amb3 y3 ne nyinaa.
The Author, Nana Yaw Kesse ,is a Marketing Practitioner