Mahama rules out IMF ‘kenkey and waakye parties’, takes swipe at erstwhile Akufo-Addo gov’t

President John Dramani Mahama has indicated that his administration will not engage in celebrations over Ghana’s completion of its International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, insisting that the country’s economic recovery remains ongoing.

Addressing residents during a citizens’ engagement at Ndewura Jakpa Senior High School in the Savannah Region on Saturday, May 23, President Mahama said the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration inherited an IMF-supported programme that was struggling and at risk of going off course when it assumed office in January 2025.

According to him, several key performance targets under the programme had been missed before the change in government, compelling his administration to implement strict corrective measures to restore stability and confidence in the programme.

“We inherited the IMF programme from the previous government. At the time we took over, all the agreed performance indicators were out of track, which meant that the programme was in danger of derailment, so we had to take some stringent actions to bring it back into alignment, and we were able to do that,” he said.

The President explained that subsequent IMF review missions acknowledged the progress made by his administration, adding that the latest mission, which concluded last week, had given Ghana a positive assessment ahead of the release of the final 380 million dollar tranche.

“The missions that came approved the programme, and the final mission just left Ghana last week, and they have given us a satisfying mark, and it is now going to the board to release the last tranche of $380 million to support our economy, but we are not going to have a kenkey party because it is still work in progress,” he stated.

المصدر: MyJoyOnline (GH)