The Coalition for Democratic Accountability and Inclusive Governance has backed calls for the dismissal of Ken Ofori-Atta as Finance Minister.
According to the group, previous comments by the Minister towards an International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme warrant calls for his removal from office.
“At least from the citizens, they feel that it is important that government must at least also show that it is responsive to the concerns that citizens are raising”, said Dr. Kojo Asante, the Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) and a member of the coalition.
Dr. Asante said government must sack the minister to rebuild public confidence.
“It is a trust-building measure, so whatever the government is going to do for us to think that it is acting with credibility and is serious must be substantial. So everyone says that the Finance Minister [must go because], there are other capable people who can continue with the work.”
The hashtag #KenMustGo trended online as some Majority MPs called for the removal of the Finance Minister.
Mr. Ofori-Atta, has been the subject of some of the more intense criticism as Ghana struggles with an economic crisis.
Inflation has reached 37.2 percent and the cedi has been singled out as the worst-performing currency in the world.
Observers online remarked that the call of the Majority MPs against their own government was unprecedented.
On the ground, some Ghanaians were also in favour of calls for the removal of the Finance Minister.
Some residents in the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi, the government’s electoral stronghold, said it would be in everyone’s best interest for the Finance Minister to go.
Some residents who spoke to Citi News say Ken Ofori-Atta’s removal as the Finance Minister is long overdue and should be shown the exit.
“If the key members of the government are saying that the Finance Minster should go, then I believe it has a lot of benefits for us, especially those of us who are sympathisers of the NPP,” one of the residents said.
“I agree with them that the Finance Minister should be changed. It is long overdue because that is the clarion call of everybody,” another Kumasi resident said.
But President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has asked persons demanding the dismissal of the Minister to be patient until the conclusion of Ghana’s deal with the IMF and the passage of the 2023 budget.
