
Audio By Carbonatix
The Bank of Ghana has denied claims by international ratings agency, Fitch, that the central bank has printed fresh currencies to fund government's budget deficit.
According to Ghana's central bank, the last request it made for printing of more Ghana cedi for circulation was in the first half of 2013, adding that the notes came later that same year.
Fitch's latest report on Ghana, released earlier this week, said the central bank was threatening further inflation and depreciation of the cedi by printing money to help finance the government’s budget deficit, which currently stands at a little over 2.1 percent.
But that central bank says Fitch's assertions are not accurate.
However, the Bank of Ghana has admitted lending to government beyond the required limits, as stated in the report by Fitch.
Fitch has said the central bank's lending to government beyond a 10 percent requirement of the total tax collected for the previous year was bad for the already troubled economy.
According to the ratings agency, the central bank's decision to exceed the lending limit is the reason for the current budget deficit.
The agency was worried that this could spell further doom for inflation and cedi depreciation figures.
But a source close to Bank of Ghana told Joy Business the debts would be paid back when funds from the cocoa syndication loan and Eurobond hits Bank of Ghana's account.
Meanwhile, Vice-President, Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, has said that data available to government do not lend credence to observations by Fitch that the country's economy is dehydrated.
Latest Stories
-
NPP leaders converge at party headquarters ahead of NEC meeting on polling station elections
5 minutes -
Fuel prices may rise in Ghana despite global drops – Duncan Amoah
8 minutes -
‘No one is above the law’- Volta Chiefs condemn EOCO over handling of Council of State member case
9 minutes -
AMA creates alternative pedestrian routes at Kaneshie after footbridge closure
13 minutes -
Ghanaians were misled- NPP accuses NDC of politicising Anti-LGBTQ bill
13 minutes -
Photos: Mahama receives full state welcome in Paris ahead of talks with French President Macron
35 minutes -
Deputy Health Minister endorses Women in Medicine Fellowship
35 minutes -
Duncan Amoah pushes for Consumer Protection Bill amid VIP fare hike
47 minutes -
LMWG backs Damang lease award to E&P, demands transparency and results
52 minutes -
Volta Chiefs condemns EOCO over alleged disregard for court ruling in Council of State member case
53 minutes -
Matthew Perry’s stepmother says ‘Ketamine Queen’ should get maximum sentence
53 minutes -
Northern Regional Police Command intensifies anti-drug operations, arrests 217 suspects
55 minutes -
The architect of a healthier Ghana: Mahama’s vision and legacy in primary healthcare
57 minutes -
Israel carries out large wave of air strikes across Lebanon
1 hour -
BBC upholds complaints over racial slur in Baftas broadcast
1 hour