The Deputy Finance Minister nominee, Thomas Nyarko Ampem has stated that Ghana’s economic situation is far worse than what President John Mahama presented in his State of the Nation Address on Thursday, February 27.

According to him, President Mahama briefly touched on some economic issues during his delivery and insisted that the true depth of the crisis will be revealed in the upcoming budget presentation on March 11.

Speaking on JoyNews The Pulse on Thursday, February 27, Mr Ampem stated that the president’s approach was forward-looking, focusing more on solutions rather than dwelling on the economic mismanagement.

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"....It is worse, but you are going to get the details on the 11th of March when Dr Ato Forson [Finance Minister] comes to present the budget," he stated.

Speaking in response to claims that the economy is not in crisis, Mr Ampem expressed surprise that anyone would think Ghana’s economy is in good shape.

“I’m surprised that anybody in this country would think that the Ghanaian economy is in good shape. It is surprising to hear that from them. 

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"Everybody knows that the Ghanaian economy has been mismanaged and that the economy is in a bad shape,” he said.

According to him, President Mahama was "very generous" in his assessment of the economy and spent little time lamenting the challenges inherited from the previous administration.

“If you compare the SONA this year to the SONA that was presented in 2017 by President Nana Akufo-Addo, you will see a large difference in the presentations.

"I think that President Mahama did not spend time lamenting the bad state of the economy as he inherited,” he explained.

The Deputy Finance Minister nominee noted that President Mahama made bold commitments to fixing the economy and delivering solutions to the problems inherited.

“We know from his track record that he’s a problem solver. So if such a person with such a track record tells you that he would fix another problem, I think it is easy for anybody to believe him that he’s going to fix the problems,” he added.