<<Print>>

Why is Mr. Adongo continuously pushing the false narrative of two separate economic data? It is fictional, diversionary, and a base attempt to take away from the government's concentrated efforts to protect its citizens from the COVID-19 crisis.

For the avoidance of doubt, this is the IMF's assessment of Ghana's economy at the April 15th, 2020 Spring meeting, "Ghana's economy was growing robustly before the pandemic. Macroeconomic health of the economy had been restored, inflation trending downwards. A lot of issues in the banking sector had been addressed, and fiscal accounts were, by and large, under control" (Mr. Abebe Aemro Selassie, IMF African Department Director).

To understand this, the data the government of Ghana reported to the IMF is the "true" data, which, according to Hon. Adongo shows that the economy is worse than the data reported in the budget statement.

If Adongo agrees with the IMF, for which reason he wrote to thank the IMF, how then was he not able to reach the same conclusion as the IMF African Department Director, which is that Ghana's economy was growing robustly before the pandemic and that other economic indicators were trending in the right direction?

Could this be the same economy that Hon Adongo was referring to? How can the same government supposedly "suppressing figures to help hide the true state of the economy and to deceive Ghanaians and, by extension, investors and the international community," as falsely stated by Hon Adongo, be praised by the IMF? It appears as though Hon Adongo is confused about the macroeconomic data on the state of the economy that he is vehemently chastising, and simply manipulating information and making false claims all in an attempt to discredit President Akuffo Addo's government.

Perhaps at this point, the IMF's assessment of the Ghanaian economy as robust before the COVID-19 will settle Hon Adongo's confusion about the economy or the data. It is clear from Hon. Adongo's statement that he trusts the IMF, and knows that the IMF cannot offer any false assessment, given its interest and commitment to member countries.

Therefore, this disingenuous behavior to paint a false picture of the economy and its underlying data is inhumane and rather disappointing of an Honourable Member of Parliament, especially at a time of worldwide distress when all other governments and its oppositions have joined forces to subdue the impacts of the global pandemic on economic activities and the lives of people. Instead of making such preposterous claims and swaying attention from our current crisis, Hon. Adongo needs to join forces in the fight against the COVID-19 – it is the only humane thing to do!