By Issah Mohammed
Accra, Oct 27, GNA- Government must not wait for the outcome of negotiations with International Monetary Fund (IMF) before taking “drastic” actions to salvage the economy, the Coalition for Democratic Accountability and Inclusive Governance, has said.
The Coalition also known as Citizens’ Coalition said a delay in taking urgent interventions pending outcome of a negotiation where the demand of government may not be fully met could further deteriorate the economic conditions.
Speaking on behalf of the Group at a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday, Mr Kojo Pumpuni, a member and the Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement at CDD-Ghana, said government must work on short short-term solutions to stem the tide of uncertainty and fear among citizens.
That, he said should include measures to drastically reduce expenditure and mitigate cost of food, transport, and fuel.
He urged the President to urgently reduce the total number of Ministers and Deputies to not more than 70 as that could reduce public expenditure and save the country more than GH₵5 million a year.
“In addition, the State will save the cost of a fully furnished official residence or 20% of consolidated salary in lieu of housing, 24- hour security, one 4-wheel drive and one salon vehicle fueled and chauffeured, medical and a gratuity of 4 month’s salary per year of service for each Minister/Deputy Minister, ” he said.
The Group called on government to cancel or renegotiate the controversial GENSER gas agreement and formulate policies to clarify and firm up directives on who to regulate and own pipelines infrastructure for transporting gas.
It said government could lose more than $1.5 billion if the agreement stood, an amount the Coalition said was half of what Ghana sought from international donors.
“The energy sector remains key to the revival of this economy but the self-inflicted hemorrhaging and misgovernance of the sector must stop if we are serious about getting out of this mess, ” Mr. Asante said.
The Coalition said Government should add life-saving chronic medicines to the list of critical items that needed forex from the Bank of Ghana and tight controls on the use of foreign exchange (forex) at commercial banks to prevent hoarding of dollars.
Prof Takyiwaa Manuh, a member of the Coalition, said it was important for Ghanaians to realise that the IMF intervention would not be enough for government to stabilise the economy.
“There is no magic about going to the IMF. We go to the IMF to deal with macro economic problems. It is not going to deal with our food and transportation problems. In fact, it is likely that we are going to face a period of austerity, ” she said.
The Coalition for Democratic Accountability and Inclusive Governance is made up of individuals from Civil Society Organisations.
It was launched on July 4, 2022, with a mission of establishing a culture of accountable and transparent governance that consciously promotes human rights, constitutionalism, and the national interest.
GNA