The government led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been urged by John Dramani Mahama to "humble" itself and convene a national conference to discuss the economic challenges facing Ghanaians.

The former president described the situation as critical and expressed doubts about whether the nation can even survive till an IMF programme is achieved given that the economy appears to be headed for a disaster.

On Friday, October 21, he addressed the leadership of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in his office. He said that Ken Ofori-Atta, the minister of finance, had been concealing himself behind a dire economic situation while instead portraying a picture of prosperity.

He stated further that the situation in the country now behoves on the government to be transparent and reach out to the 'best brains' to help the country out of the situation.

“The government should come clean and tell us, ‘What is the state of the economy?’ You must put everything on the table,” he said.

“That is why I called for a national dialogue. I said, bring the best brains together. I have been president before, it served me well. I called the Senchi Forum, it didn’t reduce my stature as President.”

He said if immediate action is not taken, “it will be catastrophic for all of us”.

Ghana is currently at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) seeking a $3-billion cushion to save the ailing economy.