Member of Parliament for Atiwa East and former Deputy Finance Minister Abena Osei Asare has defended the record of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, describing his stewardship of Ghana’s economy as largely successful prior to the global shock of COVID-19.

Speaking on Adom TV’s Badwam, Madam Osei Asare highlighted that Ghana recorded strong economic indicators between 2017 and 2020 under Mr. Ofori-Atta’s leadership at the Finance Ministry.

“From 2017 prior to 2020, the numbers were good. Our growth was a minimum of about seven percent, we had single-digit inflation, and our currency compared to other foreign currencies was stable. There was certainty in the business environment until COVID hit us and things didn’t go the way we expected,” she stated.

According to her, the economic difficulties that later confronted Ghana were not unique and must be understood in the context of a worldwide crisis.

“So far, from the time we took over until COVID, we did a very good job,” she said. “He did a very good job as Finance Minister. We went into a global crisis. It was not just Ghana.”

Madam Osei Asare noted that even advanced economies are still struggling to fully recover from the impact of the pandemic.

“As of now, the UK is yet to come back to the economic settings they were in before COVID,” she observed.

She also stated that former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo acted appropriately when he later reshuffled the Finance Ministry.

“So he did his best, and when it was time for former President Akufo-Addo to change him, he did. Dr. Amin Adam also came in to do his part until the NDC took over,” she explained.

Her comments come amid renewed public debate over Mr. Ofori-Atta’s performance following his exit from office, with critics blaming him for Ghana’s recent economic hardships.

However, Abena Osei Asare insisted that history must fairly separate pre-COVID achievements from post-pandemic challenges.

She maintained that Mr. Ofori-Atta’s tenure should be remembered for stabilising the economy, improving growth, and providing business confidence before global disruptions altered Ghana’s economic trajectory.