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IMF deal: We can manage – Ofori-Atta on external creditors’ cut-off date
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has stated that Ghana is open to any new cut-off date proposed by external creditors for the restructuring of Ghana’s external debt.
China is suggesting a December 2020 cut-off date instead of the previously agreed-upon date of December 2022.
This delay has affected Ghana’s meeting with the IMF Board for the next tranche of $600 million.
Speaking to journalists in Accra, Ken Ofori-Atta reiterated that Ghana is open to considering any date.
“For us, we can manage, so the issue is for the membership of the OCC [Official Creditor Committee ] to get comfortable, and so we hope that by the end of next week, we will have what we need so that the Fund Board can sit. Everybody is looking at the comparability of treatment in there and China and France certainly are co-chairs, so they have a good impact on what will happen, but we should be okay.”
This comes on the back of claims by the Minority Leader, Dr. Ato Forson, that the negotiation has suffered a setback and the next $600 million package is in limbo.
According to Mr. Forson, there is a disagreement between the government and the Official Creditors Committee regarding the cut-off point for the external debt to be included in the debt restructuring exercise. He insisted that this disagreement has put the release of the next tranche of $600 million in jeopardy.
Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson who made the allegation during his concluding remarks on the 2024 budget debate in Parliament on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, said Ghana is currently in a tight spot.
“Mr. Speaker, it will interest you to know that there is a deadlock in the negotiation between Ghana and the International Official Creditors Committee (OCC) made up of China and the Paris Club 50. There is a major disagreement on the cut-off point, regarding the external debt that must be excluded from the restructuring. Mr. Speaker, I do not need to sound the alarm that at this point, Ghana is between a rock and a hard place.”
Source: Citinewsroom.com
The Diaspora Affairs Office at the Office of the President has hosted a delegation of African diaspora women who are in Ghana ahead of a planned Presidential Conferment of Citizenship ceremony.
The Director of Diaspora Affairs, Kofi Okyere Darko, explained in a Facebook post that the visit was a gesture of appreciation by the delegation to the Government of Ghana for its continued efforts to reconnect Africans in the diaspora with their ancestral homeland.
He indicated that the ceremony, scheduled for next Monday, will officially grant Ghanaian citizenship to members of the delegation as part of the country’s broader engagement with the African diaspora.
The delegation was led by Erica Bennett, Founder of the Diaspora Africa Forum.
According to Mr Okyere Darko, her years of advocacy have played an important role in strengthening ties between Africa and people of African descent living abroad.
He noted that the group’s journey towards citizenship represents not only a legal process but also a cultural and spiritual return to their roots.
Also present at the meeting was Natalie Jackson, an attorney who is also expected to receive Ghanaian citizenship during the ceremony. She works closely with renowned civil rights lawyer Ben Crump.
Mr Okyere Darko emphasised that Ghana remains committed to strengthening relationships with the African diaspora and promoting unity, identity, and shared heritage among people of African descent worldwide.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana Tourism Authority is leading Ghana’s participation at ITB Berlin, which opened in Berlin with a vibrant national pavilion highlighting Ghana’s rich cultural heritage, tourism destinations and investment opportunities.
March 5 has been designated as Ghana Day, a special platform to promote Ghana’s languages, cuisine, Kente, festivals and business prospects to the global tourism community. The stand has already drawn strong interest with traditional arts and crafts displays, immersive multimedia presentations and popular Ghanaian snacks.
Seven private-sector players are exhibiting alongside government officials as part of efforts to deepen trade partnerships, expand market access, and attract investment across the hospitality, heritage tourism, ecotourism, and creative arts sectors.
Ahead of the official opening, the Ghana delegation also engaged young Ghanaian investors in Germany in collaboration with V Afrika-Verein and the Ghana Embassy, strengthening diaspora investment linkages and highlighting opportunities within the tourism value chain.
Ghana’s coordinated presence at ITB Berlin 2026 reinforces its strategy to position the country as the Gateway to Africa and a competitive destination for leisure travel and global investment.
