Source:tolonradio.com/Hamza Lansah Lolly/Baba Issahaq Mohammed
Former Finance Minister and current Member of Parliament for Karaga, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, has criticized President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to establish a planning committee for a National Economic Dialogue. Dr Amin Adam described the initiative as a “misplaced priority” and suggested it was an attempt to obscure the government’s lack of a clear economic plan.
Speaking on Monday, January 27, 2025, Dr Amin Adam argued that the dialogue is unnecessary, asserting that Ghana’s current economic indicators demonstrate recovery and growth. He claimed the initiative is primarily aimed at shifting attention away from what he characterized as unfounded claims by President Mahama about inheriting a struggling economy.
“The President doesn’t need a dialogue to understand the context of the Ghanaian economy. At the least, this dialogue is intended to cover up the President’s lack of an economic plan for the country and to whitewash his baseless claims about inheriting a bad economy,” Dr. Amin Adam stated.
To reinforce his argument, Dr Amin Adam pointed to key economic indicators, including:
International Reserves: $9 billion as of December 2024, covering four months of imports, exceeding the IMF’s three-month target.
GDP Growth: An average growth rate of 6.4% in 2024.
Trade and Current Account Surpluses: Both sectors showed positive balances.
Reduced Fiscal Deficits: A marked improvement over previous years.
“These figures show that the fundamentals of the economy are strong and that we have entered a phase of accelerated recovery,” he remarked.
Dr Amin Adam criticized the dialogue as unnecessary, stating that President Mahama should have fully understood the state of the economy before making campaign promises. He expressed scepticism about the outcomes of the initiative, citing past experiences.
“This is not the first time the NDC government has held a National Economic Dialogue,” Dr. Amin Adam said. “They did the same in 2014 after winning the 2012 elections. What became of it? They failed to implement the recommendations and instead mismanaged the economy, leading to an IMF programme which they couldn’t complete by the end of 2016.”
Dr. Amin Adam urged Ghanaians to hold President Mahama accountable for the promises he made during his campaign, emphasizing that Parliament will scrutinize the government’s plans when the 2025 Budget Statement is presented.
“This dialogue is a diversion,” he concluded. “The Ghanaian people deserve real leadership and practical solutions, not an attempt to shift responsibility to a committee whose recommendations may never see the light of day.”
