Censure motion: Ghana will and must rise again — Ofori-Atta assures suffering Ghanaians

Underfire Finance Minister, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta has given an assurance that the economy will be restored.

In his submissions before the ad hoc committee hearing the motion of censure today, Friday, November 18, he said Ghana will rise again.

“Ghana will and must rise again,” he stated.

Among several things, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta in his speech also acknowledged the ongoing economic hardship in the country.

According to him, he feels the pain in his soul.

“I feel the pain personally, professionally and in my soul. I see and feel the terrible impact of rising prices of goods and services on the lives and livelihoods of ordinary Ghanaians.”

In an attempt to console Ghanaians, he accepted blame, indicating how sorry he is due for the current hardships in the country.

“Let me use this opportunity to say to the Ghanaian people what I believe, with courage, every Finance Minister around the world may wish to say to his people now: I am truly sorry,” he said.

The committee in its third sitting today is hearing the motion of censure filed against the Minister of Finance by the Minority Caucus in Parliament.

The Minority Caucus represented by the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu and the Minority Spokesperson on Finance Cassiel Ato Forson at the first sitting of the ad hoc committee made several allegations including unlawful spending on the national cathedral from the contingency fund without Parliamentary approval.

In his defence, first on the allegation that he unlawfully spent some money on the national cathedral, he says they are false claims.

He indicated that the national cathedral is 100 per cent owned by the state and as such payment made from the contingency vault was lawful.

“All the payments made for the national cathedral were lawfully done and from the contingency vault under the government obligations and not from the contingency fund as alleged by the proponents,” he said.