A prominent member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Arthur Kennedy, has voiced his concerns about the government's habit of using external factors such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, COVID-19, and the Russian-Ukraine war as excuses for Ghana's economic challenges.

He emphasized the government's reliance on these external factors to explain its economic difficulties, even though it has received substantial external funding and imposed a COVID-19 tax.

Dr. Arthur Kennedy made these remarks during an interview with Accra-based Citi TV on November 1.

“I have heard that very soon, the NPP [government] will add the Israeli-Palestinian war to the list of excuses [it already has]. Let’s be serious: as a result of COVID-19, the government received $3 billion from external funders. In addition to that, the government imposed a COVID tax that it has yet to remove, yet we keep making COVID the excuse.”

These statements come after positive remarks made about Ghana's economy by the Managing Director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva.

She acknowledged significant economic advancements and expressed optimism regarding the disbursement of a $600 million IMF fund tranche. This disbursement is seen as a key factor in enhancing confidence in Ghana's economic stability.

Government has on numerous occasions blamed the crippling economy on external factors such as COVID-19, Russia-Ukraine war among others.

This has not sat well with a number of Ghanaians, particularly the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) who believe the government is trying to evade accountability and its responsibility.