Renowned Broadcaster, Blessed Godsbrain Smart, popularly known as Captain Smart, has claimed that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his Cabinet have already decided to seek a bailout from the IMF.
He claims that Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, who he refers to as Ghana’s shadow prime minister, recently made some statements to gauge the public’s reaction to the country’s IMF programme and to mentally prepare Ghanaians for it.
“I told you that the government will be going to the IMF (for a bailout) between January and June… They have already gone to the IMF.
“Gabby said he is not against an IMF programme in principle… Gabby, we are not children, your uncle (President Akufo-Addo) said you should come and test the waters,” he said in Twi.
Speaking on his Maakye show on Onua TV, monitored by GhanaWeb, the journalist also alleged that Gabby’s pronouncement on the failure of the Electronic Transfer Level (E-Levy) to achieve its set target and the country’s need to borrow to be able to pay public sector workers is the position of the government because he (Gabby) is the shadow prime minister of Ghana.
He added that the government’s running to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout is a vindication of former President John Dramani Mahama.
He explained that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his appointees criticised the ex-president when he went into an IMF programme.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) stalwart, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, in a series of tweets, said that he agrees in principle with Ghana going to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a financial bailout.
He indicated that the justification for Ghana going to the IMF for a bailout is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“I am not for an IMF program that throws peanuts at us but imposes conditions that will end up hurting the poor, jobs and businesses more. Covid-19 and War in Ukraine are not of Africa’s doing but more to our doom. A program that pretends it is all our doing is doomed to fail.
“Am I against an IMF program in principle? No,” the tweets he shared on June 27, 2022, read.
He also said that the government might soon resort to borrowing money to be able to pay public sector workers.
