The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has predicted a bleak economic outlook for Ghana in the year 2020 following what it says was an unconvincing budget statement and economic policy presented to Parliament by Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta on November 13, 2019.
The NDC stated its position on the budget at a Public Forum held Wednesday, November 20, 2019 in Accra.
The forum was addressed by three speakers, namely; the Member of Parliament for the Ketu South constituency and former Minister for Transport, Mr Fifi Kwetey; Mr Cassiel Ato Forson, member of Parliament for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam constituency in the Central Region and Mr Isaac Adongo, MP for Bolgatanga Central constituency in the Upper East Region and a member of the Finance Committee of Parliament.
‘Lazy NPP’ still blaming predecessors for economic woes
In his remarks, Mr Kwetey said the President Akufo-Addo-led NPP administration inherited a strong economy from the NDC which was buoyed by the discovery of two additional oil fields.
Additionally, he stated that an energy crisis that had plagued the economy prior to the elections was also resolved by the NDC before the reigns of power changed hands.
The Ketu South MP said he was therefore puzzled that the NPP keeps on lamenting to Ghanaians that it inherited a weak economy.
“The government that has had the most solid economic legacy is the Nana Akufo-Addo government, so, for them to actually claim that they have inherited the greatest crisis is really a big surprise," Mr Kwetey said.
“It is only an irresponsible, incompetent, lazy group of people who will blame their predecessors. We [Ghana] would have been in the high heavens if we in the NDC inherited these legacies.
“John Mahama handed over to them two massive oil fields. In 2016, oil production was about 87,000 barrels a day and today we are talking about almost 200,000 barrels a day.
“You have these handed over to you, yet you said you have inherited an economic mess. Meanwhile, your own GDP, today, is on the basis of those two oil fields that have been handed over to you. Since the 1980s, we have always known that every three or so years, we go through an energy crisis". Mounting debts Mr Kwetey said he found it hypocritical that the NPP was blaming Ghana’s mounting debts on the depreciation of the cedi.“…These are people who claim they are the best managers of the economy and the cedi has performed […]