Ghana bailout proposal goes to IMF Executive Board in February

IMF

Ghana's quest for technical and financial assistance from Washington-based International Monetary Fund (IMF) is set to attain a milestone when proposals reach the Fund's Executive Board next month.

Deputy Finance Minister, Cassel Ato Forson, revealed this on News file news analysis program Saturday, January 17, 2015.

"I can confirm to you today that we've reached an agreement as long as the policy objective is concerned; we've reached an agreement as long as memorandum of economic and financial policy is concerned. The IMF is only working with us to finalize it and go to the board next month", said Mr Forson.

Mr Forson was reacting to a comment by co-panelist, former Deputy Finance Minister, Anthony Akoto-Osei, that the IMF programmed has taken too long to come.

Mr Akoto-Osei said delays in striking a deal with the Breton-Woods institution is a sign that a possible Fund program will be a botch endeavor or derailed at best.

However, Mr Forson disagreed with that assertion: "The IMF program is not derailed. It's on track, we are hopeful, we know the next board meeting, we are going to have it [meeting] and we are going to conclude".

When bailout proposals reach the IMF Executive Board, it will be a significant step in Government's effort to clinch a possible Fund program.

This is because the Fund's 24-member Executive Board made up of all 188 member-countries play a key role in decisions on a possible Fund program for member states.

The IMF Executive Board normally makes decisions based on consensus, but sometimes formal votes are taken. At the end of most formal discussions, the Board issues what is known as a summing up, which summaries its views.

Initial reports had suggested that a 2015 deadline for a possible Fund program could be elusive since a timeline for a when proposals would reach the Executive Board was nonexistent.



A MUST READ

HOW TO MAKE A LEGITIMATE MONEY ONLINE IN GHANA & BEYOND USING IREPORTERS TV PLATFORM!