Former Minister of Trade and Industry Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah has said he would be glad to avail himself to offer the current government “key ideas” that can lead to economic “independence”.
He said if called upon, he is ready to make his over-four decades of experience available to the government to rescue Ghanaians out of the current economic quagmire.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, May 8, the former Education Minister said Ghana’s current economic situation requires more than a $3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout to be solved.
“Our nation is bankrupt, broke, and impoverished, Ghana is being pillaged, dispoiled, and raped daily,” he noted.
“Our major national institutions are breaking down. The Presidency, Parliament, Judiciary, Media, Law Enforcement and National Security Agencies have all become objects of scorn at one recent time or the other. Many of our banks have failed or been made to fail; others are on various kinds of financial life-support.
“Our economy overall is in tatters and off balance. We still import far more than we export. Our Cedi is at its weakest since it was created. We need far more than a USD 1 billion per year, 3-year IMF bailout. We need strategies that will not lead to mobilizing sufficient new money into the economy.
“Ghana needs radical new ideas, and some of us are glad to be here, and able to help, if asked.”
He recounted his sojourns with major multinationals such as International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Hill & Knowlton, and Credit Agricole of France as well as making his services available to nations such as Indonesia, Turkey, and the Netherlands as key in helping the government out of the current crisis.
y realization that I happen to have been blessed with some very specific knowledge and experience that many Ghanaians do not have. I happen to be in possession of certain keys to Ghana’s economic recovery that I learnt some 40 years ago.”
The former Communications Minister also noted that with his experience in governance, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) can help Ghana emerge strong out of the current crisis.
He, therefore, threw his support for John Dramani Mahama in Saturday’s Presidential Primaries of the NDC.
“We need to rescue our country, Wallahi! Based on the above analyses and considering the current harsh economic conditions in Ghana, I wish to call on all NDC supporters to unite our resources and strengths behind President John Mahama to win the imminent Flagbearership contest and also to win the 2024 general elections.”