The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has stated that he has felt the ‘pain and aches’ but was concerned about how the country surmounts its challenges.
“You have a Ministerof Finance who has gone through all the pains and aches, and nobody can really come and say we do not understand what we are doing”, Mr Ofori-Atta stated.
Speaking to members of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) on Thursday, Mr Ofori-Atta expressed confidence in the country, since she was purposed for greatness.
According to him, at the time when the country was facing severe economic hardships, he wanted the citizenry to discuss how the country’s resources could be utilised effectively and efficiently to ensure progress, growth and development instead of the heightened calls for his resignation.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo appealed to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament (MPs) to allow MrOfori-Atta to stay in office until the International Monetary Fund negotiations and the 2023 Budget and Policy Statement was presented.
The Minority in Parliament have filed a motion of censure against Mr Ofori-Atta and were hopeful by November 10, they could conclude processes to remove him and over the past weeks, he has been under intense pressure to step down over gross mismanagement of the economy including members of his own party also throwing their weight behind the calls and threatened to boycott government business if he is not sacked.
Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu declared that the entire Majority Caucus was now in support of the calls for Mr Ofori-Atta to be sacked which started with 80 NPP MPs threatening to boycott government business if he is not sacked but days before the vote of censure against him, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu disclosed that the entire NPP caucus was in support of the president’s cousin being removed from office.
However, he revealed that a wealthy businessman approached the MPs to influence their decision and assured of probing the incident.
But Mr Ofori-Atta has rallied support and assistance of citizens in taking the country out of the woods saying “let me assure you all your best bet is still Ghana, we can do it and we should do it but the question is what resources do we have and how are we going to deploy them in the nation that we have, how do we stand firm in very difficult circumstances, by being confident the nation is purposed for greatness and you are blessed to have opportunity to lead where we are going”.
