Finance Minister must be open with Ghanaians – Bagbin

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, wants the government to be open and candid with Ghanaians as its negotiation with the International Monetary Fund nears completion.

Mr. Bagbin said the government must bring all Ghanaians on board to find solutions to the challenges.

Speaking to journalists in Ho in the Volta Region, Mr. Bagbin said the Finance Ministry must show openness in all its dealings.

“The absence of openness and transparency can lead to suspicion and a profound sense of despair and hopelessness. It is in this regard that I call on the Minister of Finance to muster the courage to be candid, open and to speak truth to power,” he said.

“Don’t come and repeat what we have been told already, We know it. Give us policy alternatives,” Mr. Bagbin added.

Critics of the government have accused it of not being forthright about the country’s finances.

The opposition National Democratic Congress, for example, accused the government of fiscal recklessness and creative accounting as Ghana’s economic crisis took shape.

The government is currently seeking $3 billion from the International Monetary Fund to support the economy.

The government sought the International Monetary Fund’s support months after being urged by the opposition to do so amid worsening inflation and forex challenges.

Before going to the International Monetary Fund, the government had claimed it was on sound financial ground and did not need International Monetary Fund support.