GNAT: IMF Deal Stifling Jobs

General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), David Ofori Acheampong, has said if the Akufo-Addo-led government will be able to deal with the labour unrest in the country, then it will have to end Ghana’s three-year programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

According to him, the conditionalities attached to the IMF agreement entered into by the previous administration have left several teachers and other professionals like nurses unemployed, a situation that is gradually creating problems for the current government.

Sharing his opinion on the picketing of the Coalition of Unemployed Private Nurses over the failure of the government to post them as well as on matters relating to unposted teachers, Mr Acheampong told Chief Jerry Forson, host of Ghana Yensom on Accra 100.5FM on Tuesday, 1 August that: “If we are able to wean ourselves off the IMF, I am sure gradually some of these labour issues where trained professionals are unposted will be dealt with.

"As we speak, just like the nurses, there are several teachers who have not been posted to work due to the IMF conditionality and so that is the main issue. We are praying hard that the 2018 deadline for the IMF programme will be here soon.”

He added: “Governments inherit assets and liabilities but it looks like this government inherited more liabilities than assets but we all know governance is a continuous process and so we expect this government to deal with the issues."