Government Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu says the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has no basis to claim credit for economic progress when it missed every key target under the IMF programme in 2024.
The Abura Asebu-Kwamankese MP said the data exposes the government’s claims of building a strong foundation.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, he stressed that the NPP cannot celebrate achievements that do not exist.
According to him, the party’s own performance under the IMF programme contradicts its public messaging.
“There is no case of building any foundation. So look at their record; last year, they missed all the targets that the IMF set for them under the IMF program,” he said.
Mr Kwakye Ofosu argued that the scale of the deviation shows a government without control over its own programme.
“Now, when you miss your targets by the margins that they did, how can you claim that you’ve made a new foundation?” he asked.
He added that no government can describe such outcomes as evidence of stability. “What foundation can lead to such serious slippages?” he said.
Mr. Kwakye Ofosu explained that the most important indicator under the programme was the primary balance, which is revenue against expenditure, excluding interest payments.
He said the NPP itself agreed with the IMF that this was the anchor for assessing progress.
“For instance, when they entered the IMF program, the IMF and the NPP agreed that the main anchor of the program was their primary balance,” he said.
The Abura Asebu-Kwamankese MP noted that the target set for 2024 was clear.
“In the IMF documents and the targets that they set for last year, they said they will do a surplus of 0.5%.”
He said the government failed in dramatic fashion.
“They ended up doing a deficit, which is a primary balance of negative 3.5%,” he revealed. He described the outcome as alarming.
“Also, that is a major slippage. It cannot be a good foundation,” he stressed.
Mr Kwakye Ofosu further dismissed claims of strong economic management, pointing to other indicators that went off track.
“Look at the inflation target they set. They missed it,” he said. He added that the fiscal outcome also exposed the government.
“All the targets they set, they miss. The deficit was higher than they projected,” he said.
Mr Kwakye Ofosu argued that the results under the current administration show a reversal of that trend. “Now the contrary has actually happened under us,” he said.
His comments add to an ongoing national debate over whether the recent improvements in macroeconomic indicators are due to earlier NPP reforms or the impact of the new policy direction under the current government.
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