Dr Arthur Kennedy, a prominent member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), says government will soon use the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as an excuse for Ghana's economic challenges.

The US-based physician expressed discontent with the government's tendency to attribute economic woes to various external factors, including COVID-19 and the Russian-Ukraine war.

He suggested that the government might soon add the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to this list of explanations.

Mr Arthur, speaking in an interview with Accra-based Citi TV on Wednesday, November 1, highlighted that despite receiving significant external funding and imposing a COVID-19 tax, the government continues to cite COVID-19 as a primary factor for its economic woes.

“I have heard that very soon, the NPP [government] will add the Israeli-Palestinian war to the list of excuses [it already has]. Let’s be serious: as a result of COVID-19, the government received $3 billion from external funders. In addition to that, the government imposed a COVID tax that it has yet to remove, yet we keep making COVID the excuse.”

These comments follow positive remarks about Ghana's economy from the IMF's Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva.

She noted substantial economic progress and expressed hope for the disbursement of a $600 million IMF fund tranche, emphasising its role in bolstering confidence in Ghana's economic stability.