A former Chief Justice (CJ) of the Republic of Ghana, Sophia Akuffo, has said that she is irritated by the fact that people associate her name ‘Akuffo’ with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s name.
Sophia Akuffo said when people attach her name to the President, it makes her feel some type of way, “as though I have no merit or capacity, yes that irritates me but I don’t let it bother me.”
The former CJ said she finds it “irritating”, that people refer to her as a family member of the President for which she was appointed to be Chief Justice. The former top judge also spoke about her idealogy, “If you insist on ideology. which I thought was outdated after Communism, maybe I can say I am an egalitarian”, she revealed.
She said she was first appointed to the Supreme Court straight from private practice by late former President John Rawlings, before President Kufour appointed her to the African Court and President Akufo-Addo made her Chief Justice. She said she cuts across as a “friend of everyone and an enemy to none”.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Communications Bureau has severally accused the Akufo-Addo government of running a family members, friends and friends of family type of government. The party released at the bureau’s 6th edition of the Moment of Truth, a forum the party has used to comment on important issues of governance and government policies since 2018.
But Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo later replied that he has only two family relatives in his Government. According to the President, all allegations leveled against him to be running a family and friend Government are not true.
Nana Addo disclosed that one of the family relatives in his Government is Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister of the Republic of Ghana. “Mr. Ken Ofori Atta is my cousin,” he said and added that Amoako-Atta, Roads Minister is also related to him.
‘Very Pleased To Hear Authorities Are Making Progress’
Kristalina Georgieva, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has reacted to the recent Ghana’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
She stressed via a tweet that the Washington-based lender was ready to support Ghana stabilize and promote inclusive economic growth. Gerogieva, made the comment after meeting with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
Her full tweet accompanied with a photo of her in a handshake with Akufo-Addo read: “Very pleased to hear authorities are making progress on bringing the staff-level agreement to the IMF Exec. Board. We support Ghana’s efforts to stabilize the economy & promote an inclusive recovery,” the tweet read.
Ghana’s DDEP according to experts is a major conditionality of the lender in granting Board approval for a US$3 billion bailout. The programme was meant to ensure the streamlining Ghana’s unsustainable debt.
Ghana is hoping to get the first tranche of the bailout by March this year in order to be amongst others rein in inflation and arrest the galloping depreciation of the Ghana Cedi.
This proves that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) officers or negotiators, are aware of the fact that the DDEP is creating problems amongst the people of Ghana and yet condone and still claim to say that they have seen progress and pleased to know that there is some sort of agreement being reached amongst all within the country.
