Government spokesperson Kofi Tonto has accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of attempting to create false impressions in the minds of Ghanaians regarding the management of the country’s economy during the John Mahama-led administration.
Mr Tonto said the NDC’s decision to approach the IMF during Mahama’s tenure was not a sacrifice for the nation, but rather a consequence of the NDC’s mismanagement of the economy.
Speaking on Citi TV Mr Tonto said the NDC, through its communicators, are trying to portray themselves as ‘sacrificing for the nation’.
In February 2015, during Mahama’s tenure, Ghana secured a $1 billion IMF loan to revitalize the economy. The Ghanaian economy had previously been growing at an annual rate of approximately 8%, driven by exports of gold, cocoa, and oil.
However, in 2014, growth declined to 4.2% due to falling commodity prices and currency depreciation.
Mr Tonto contends that Mahama’s decision to approach the IMF was primarily a result of economic mismanagement.
Tonto also admitted that the governor of the central bank’s choice of words to describe the demonstrators at the #OccupyBOG protests was inappropriate.
He believes that a different word could have been chosen, but he also noted that the NDC and the minority caucus had set a certain tone with their actions.
