Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has emphasised the need for the country to remain optimistic about the economy as it was on a steady path to economic recovery.

According to the minister, the macroeconomic indicators had begun showing positive signs, and cited the drop in inflation figures and foreign currency stability as indications of the government turning the corner to instil confidence in the economy.

He made these known when he addressed a cross-section of the Ghanaian media in Marrakech, Morocco, on the positive outcomes of the country’s engagement with its external partners and projections into the coming year.

The Minister, in his brief, disclosed that the delegation has had extensive deliberations, which included roundtable policy discussions with the Fund and World Bank on IMF policy priorities, the Poverty Reduction Growth Trust,and Ghana's invitation to the G7 and G20 meetings, which alluded to Ghana international recognition as Africa’s beacon of hope.

Mr. Ofori-Atta revealed that the progress the country had made under the IMF External Credit Facility was evident and indicated the World Bank President’s assurance of the Bank’s support for the economy because we had stuck progressively to the programme.

‘’So we are in a good space and as we know the whole programme is predicated on the PC-PEG because the President has been very clear that the growth agenda is necessary which talks about the issues for jobs’’ the Finance Minister stated.

The Minister at the high level meetings again advocated for requisite funding for Africa’s structural transformation owing to the fact that a quarter of the world’s population was going to be in Africa and that was close to one billion youth.

Discussions with external creditors

On Ghana’s discussion with bilateral creditors, Mr. Ofori-Atta disclosed that the bilateral external debt restructuring was progressing well and ahead as planned on the official creditor side, adding he expect good news in the coming months.

The implementation of the $3 billion 3-year IMF-supported PC-PEG,  the Minister contended, had been very positive and assessment by the IMF in its recent mission in Ghana for the 1st review of the IMF-Supported programme attested to the strong performance.

Present at the press briefing were Ghana’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco, Ambassador Samuel Joojo Effah-Broni; Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah; Director of Financial Sector Division of the Ministry of Finance, Sampson Akligoh; Director of Treasury and Debt Management Division of the Ministry, Samuel Arkhurst and other officials of the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Ghana.