FLASHBACK: 10 urgent actions Akufo-Addo must take to deal with current economic crisis

In the wake of the harsh economic crisis, Ghana went through in 2022 before making the decision to go to the International Monetary Fund for a bailout, many analysts and market watchers advised the government against certain economic policies.

Sulemana Braimah added his voice to these suggestions by proposing 10 urgent measures the government could adopt to help the economy.

Some of them included:

1. Reduce the number of Ministers and deputies to not more than 65

2. Announce the dismissal of Sarah Adwoa Safo as your Gender Minister

3. Replace Ken Ofori-Atta as Finance Minister, he has lost credibility and public confidence

4. Reduce the number of presidential staffers by 40%

5. Announce the immediate cessation of additional allocation of state resources towards the construction of the National Cathedral

Read the full story originally published on July 14, 2022, by GhanaWeb

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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the first quarter of this year announced a 30% pay cut for himself and his appointees. The cost of running government was also slashed as was fuel allocation.

At the recently held Eid-Ul-Adha celebration in Accra, the president reiterated his call for sacrifices citing the gesture taken by his government.

“We are all going to have to make some sacrifices to afford us the space to navigate the troubled waters of the current economic difficulties.

“The expenditure of ministries, departments, and agencies has been cut by 30 percent. The salaries of all appointees including myself have been reduced by 30 percent. Fuel coupon allocations have been slashed by 50 percent and other expenditures suspended,” President Akufo-Addo said.

The calls for the government to do more by way of austerity measures have heightened in the wake of the decision to approach the International Monetary Fund, IMF, for an economic rescue programme.

The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, Sulemana Braimah, has outlined 10 actions Akufo-Addo should take to prove that he is indeed concerned about the impact of the economic hardships on Ghanaians.

Find his list below:

1. Reduce the number of Ministers and deputies to not more than 65

2. Announce the dismissal of Sarah Adwoa Safo as your Gender Minister

3. Replace Ken Ofori-Atta as Finance Minister, he has lost credibility and public confidence

4. Reduce the number of presidential staffers by 40%

5. Announce the immediate cessation of additional allocation of state resources towards the construction of the National Cathedral

6. Authorize an immediate comprehensive audit of COVID-19 funds

7. Ask all ministers and appointees to buy their own fuel just as teachers, nurses and other public sector workers do

8. Authorize the Auditor General to enforce his surcharge and disallowance powers

9. End Kelni GVG, and all other phony contracts including those sanitation contracts with District Assemblies

10. Announce an immediate cessation of the practice of renting luxurious private jets for your travels.

According to Brimah, the president and his appointees should forgo all salaries for the next two years.

Meanwhile, the IMF team that arrived in Accra last week has rounded up engagements with the government and has promised to take measures to support the government in its bid out of the economic downturn.

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