<<Print>>

Former Ghanaian Ambassador at Large, Dr Kofi Amoah, said he largely failed to achieve the objectives of his role as ambassador and presidential advisor due to administrative and bureaucratic inefficiencies at the presidency.

A seasoned Ghanaian businessman, Dr Kofi Amoah was appointed an Ambassador at Large in the first term government of President Akufo-Addo.

In an interview with GhanaWeb, the businessman said despite the excitement with which he received the honour to serve his country, he failed to achieve the mandate of his office.

“I was appointed by the President as an Ambassador-at-large to use my vast global contacts and associates to attract investments into Ghana like I did with Western Union that made it possible for USD Billions to flow into Ghana’s economy.

“I was excited that I had been given another opportunity to again assist my nation. Unfortunately nothing came out of this due to the administrative and bureaucratic inefficient machinery at Jubilee House, which I alerted the President to, verbally and in writing,” he stated.

In his role as presidential advisor also, Dr Amoah said the president failed to heed to his counsel after he warned Akufo-Addo against excessive borrowing by outlining its effects.

“Again I cautioned the president, verbally and in writing, against the huge borrowing in billions and warned that we may not be able to service these debts and cause big hiccups for the nation…. and he did not listen and we are all witnessing the unfortunate and embarrassing turnaround to the IMF and the hardships to ensue that will affect every citizen,” he said.

According to the man popularly referred to as Citizen Kofi, the time has come for the president to heed to public calls and sack the minister for finance as one of the early measures in dealing with the nation’s current economic crisis.

“Now, several respected voices have advised the President to replace his Finance Minister and give the country a new face and approach that can help the country truly reform instead of a bandage, face-saving reform that will only prop up the country for a re-occurrence of financial breakdown and IMF re-visit in another economic downturn. Ghana now needs a patriotic medicine that will work and not a cure inadequate for the problem cooked up by the same people who pushed us into the valley,” he said.

“I will appreciate a treatment on this important matter so that Ghanaians will together push for what will work for our nation and not sit on the fence as always, abrogating our future to the whims of a few who have so far demonstrated lack of capacity to help protect and grow our economy,” he added.

Citizen Kofi emphasized that his criticism of the president and his government only comes from a place of pain for what Ghanaians have had to endure as a result of failed leadership.

“I really do not have any grudge against our sitting president.

“I just have pain in my heart for the unnecessary suffering majority of Ghanaians are experiencing due to years of bad and unfocused leadership,” he said.

He noted that Ghana, as a country, has been blessed with the resources to develop and it has become more necessary than ever for citizens to speak truth to power.

“Ghana has more resources to work with than many ex-colonial countries and yet we keep slipping.

“Time has come for all of us to jettison our passive and non-confrontational culture that have not served us well in our history and find a respectable but courageous way to speak truth to power and hope they listen and change this time,” Dr Amoah said.

The government of Ghana on Monday, July 1, 2022, announced a decision to seek an IMF financial assistance.

According to the government, the decision has become necessary owing to the current economic crisis witnessed in the country as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.

However some critics say the government is failing to take responsibility for the current situation. There has been some calls for the head of the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta.