Civil Society (CS) Platform On IMF Bailout

The Civil Society Platform on IMF Bailout is aware of the arrival of the IMF team in Ghana to finalize negotiations on the bailout plan with the Government. In this connection, we strongly reiterate our appeal to both parties (the Government of Ghana and the IMF team) to consider and adopt the underlisted recommendations of Civil Society Organizations.

These recommendations represent the Common Positions of Civil Society on the final bailout agreement adopted during the National Forum on the IMF Bailout held on 18th November 2014. We are of the strong opinion that the adoption of these recommendations would ensure better allocation of public resources, fiscal discipline, efficient and effective service delivery and enhance our country’s Public Financial Management system so that the current bailout agreement becomes the very last going forward.

Key Recommendations of the CS Platform after the National Forum held on 18th Nov. 2014: Accountability and Transparency

- Implementing the GIFMIS (Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information Systems) project to eliminate ghost names form the public payroll.

- Improve upon effective system monitoring at the MDAs.

- Implementation of the National Action Plan on the fight against corruption.

- Create and sustain civil society spaces for budget education and monitoring.

- Broaden, professionalize, and engender representation on both advisory and executive boards and committees of public institutions.

- Fast track the implementation of the budget monitoring and oversight office in parliament.

- The office of the Attorney Generals department should be separated from the Ministry of Justice with the former exercising well its prosecutorial mandate.

- Strengthen pro poor parliamentary select committees to hold government accountable.

- Government and all state actors should as a matter of priority respect freedom of expression and media rights.

Linking Stabilization to Transformation

- Narrow all deficit financing and create more revenue spaces accordingly.

- Call for the Quarterly briefing from the Governor of the Bank of Ghana on compliance with its fiscal and monetary policies obligations.

- Harnessing the professional or technical capacities of civil society in the setting of developmental agenda.

Fiscal Discipline

- Empower private sector as the driver of youth employment.

- Prioritizing the Ghana Gas Infrastructure project to reduce the import bill and consequently overheads for industries.

- Reviewing the law governing the GOG allocation to GNPC, which currently stands at 30% of oil revenue?

- Strengthen parliamentary oversight on spending of the GNPC allocations.

- Improving mobilization of domestic resource base by GOG – e.g. address reduction of leakages and loopholes in administration of tax on big business and ports.

- Immediately compile and harmonize all fiscal responsibility related rules in existing legislations and ensure compliance.

- Conduct a “Value for Money” review for all existing projects.

- Reviewing and giving good consideration to the PWC report on the weaning of subverted agencies. Thus making some completely autonomous and paying their own bills and also taxes to government.

Protect Strategic Pro-Poor and Pro-Development Spending

- Continue and sustain the current fertilizer subsidies project with farmers.

- Consider giving farmers a fair price for their produce to counter smuggling and increase revenue.

- The Agricultural Development Bank and other financial institutions should improve existing farmer friendly credit schemes.

- Promoting and sustaining small scale irrigation schemes.
- NHIS – Consistent Capitalization of the Scheme to Keep It Running So that there is Confidence in the Scheme.

- Prioritize Vocational and Technical Education and Make it Relevant.