ACCRA, Oct 27 (Reuters) – A coalition of members of parliament from Ghana’s ruling party has quashed demands that Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta be removed from office until a support package is negotiated with the Monetary Fund International (IMF).
The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) said in the statement on Wednesday that President Nana Akufo-Addo told them that “their demands would be acted upon” after the next reading of the 2023 budget and the culmination of the ongoing IMF support talks.
A majority of NPP members of parliament on Tuesday called on the president to sack Ofori-Atta and his deputy to “restore hope to the financial sector”. They vowed not to participate in any government business and boycott budget hearings until his dismissal. Read more
Ghana is in the midst of an economic crisis as inflation and currency depreciation hit record levels despite repeated and severe hikes in lending rates.
Akufo-Addo’s office said on Wednesday that the president would address the nation on the economy on Sunday evening, after a week of emergency meetings with the central bank, currency traders and his own cabinet
Ofori-Atta, who is leading the IMF negotiations after initially opposing a deal, has faced calls for his removal from the country’s two main political parties.
Reporting by Christian Akorlie; written by Cooper Inveen; edited by Bate Felix and Jason Neely
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