On Friday, November 10, 2023, the Ministry of Finance issued a rejoinder to our publication on a missed timeline for the disbursement of the second tranche of the $3 billion IMF support for Ghana. We publish the Ministry’s rejoinder in full below. Our observation is also published beneath this rejoinder.

RE: FALSE PUBLICATION BY MYJOYONLINE - "GHANA MISSES OUT ON IMF'S NOV 1 TIMELINE FOR 2ND TRANCHE AS EXTERNAL DEBT RESTRUCTURING TALKS DRAG"

Accra, 10^th November, 2023... The attention of the Ministry of Finance has been drawn to above- titled misleading publication on Myjoyonline, about Ghana missing a purported deadline of 1^st November, 2023, for the disbursement of the second tranche of International Monetary (IMF) Funds.

2. The Ministry thus wishes to set the record straight:

a. There is no 1^st November, 2023 timeline for disbursement of the second tranche of the IMF funds. No deadline has been set by the IMF for the second tranche disbursement, which is due to take place after the IMF Executive Board approves the first review.

The publication by Myjoyonline references Table 9 on page 72 of the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies (MEFP) published on 17^th May, 2023 by the IMF. The November 1 stated in this table is an indicative timeline for completion of the first review, based on the observance of the end-June 2023 performance criteria. This first review was successfully completed on 6^th October, 2023, culminating in a Staff Level Agreement (SLA) on the same day.

Whilst the SLA milestone is an important step towards unlocking the second tranche of $600 million under the programme, the timeline set by the Executive Board for the consideration and approval of the first review, is not 1^st November, 2023 as published by Myjoyonline. The exact timeline for the Board date is determined by the IMF Executive Board.

b. External debt restructuring negotiations are progressing smoothly. The Government of Ghana is making good progress in accordance with its strategic plan to engage the Official Creditor Committee (OCC) of the Paris Club; secure a Memorandum of Understanding on debt restructuring; and go before the IMF Executive Board for approval of the first review.

c. Myjoyonline's misinformation about a 1^st November deadline for disbursement of IMF Funds contradicts its own publication of 2^nd November, 2023. It is trite knowledge that the IMF Executive Board Meeting to approve Ghana's first review, must occur before the disbursement of the next tranche of IMF Funds. On 2^nd November, 2023, Myjoyonline published an article titled, "IMF Executive Board to meet in 3^rd week of November, Ofori- Atta hints" which clearly contradicts the false publication of a 1^st November deadline.

The Ministry of Finance therefore encourages the general public and media houses in particular, to seek the facts and truth about any information that comes to their attention, by reaching out to the Ministry for clarification whenever they are in doubt. They may also visit our website www.mofep.gov.gh or email info@mofep.gov.gh END

Editor's Note:

Readers may observe the Finance Ministry's interchanging use of 'Timeline' and 'Deadline' in its explanation. Our story has been about the missed roadmap for the programme, the chronological sequence of events as officially advertised. Our publication did not in anyway suggest that Ghana is no longer eligible for the IMF support. Ghana certainly expected the disbursement of the $600 million support as indicated in the official roadmap below and as highlited. That has not happened yet.