Economist Kwame Pianim has raised concerns about the direction of government activities following an economic crisis in Ghana.
Mr Pianim in an interview with Joy FM criticized the government's trend of ceding control to foreign experts and resorting to constant borrowing from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which he sees as an indication of incompetence.
He expressed disappointment in the leadership of the country, stating that he expected better performance after 66 years of independence.
"We have a Finance Minister who borrowed and Parliament that supported him to borrow. We have now somebody from the US treasury sitting in the Ministry of Finance to hold Ken Ofori-Atta’s hand. Ken told me once – we went to school with these same white boys – we are just as good as them," he said.
“Now he has somebody sitting there, holding his hand, giving him tutorials in what? And we have somebody being paid by a Swiss fund sitting in the Bank of Ghana. Our governor was out giving advice to other countries. And we are being recolonised,” he said.
According to Mr Pianim, government projects often cost twice the indicated price due to incompetence and corruption.
As a result, he does not believe that Ghana's debt should be forgiven but rather restructured to compel the government to pay, thereby deterring it from reckless borrowing.
Mr Pianim has recommended that the government focus on creating home-grown solutions to address current economic issues rather than relying on the IMF during times of crisis.
Speaking on the recent approval of three tax bills by Parliament, Mr Pianim expressed indifference to their purpose, stating that they have nothing to do with growth and fiscal sustainability.
“This levy has nothing to do with growth, it has nothing to do with fiscal sustainability. It’s a lie,” he said.
He also advised the government to be transparent with the people of Ghana.