CSOs Demand Accountability In IMF Bailout

Joseph Winful

The Civil Society Platform, which is made up of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), has called on government to be accountable and transparent in the implementation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.

According to Joseph Winful, Executive Chairman of the Financial Accountability & Transparency –Africa, a CSO, government should ensure that the final agreement incorporates measures that would guarantee fiscal discipline and link stabilization to transformation, as well as protect strategic pro-poor and pro-development spending.

Addressing the media on behalf of the CSOs yesterday in Accra, Mr Winful said, “These, we believe, would guarantee better allocation of public resources, efficient and effective service delivery as well as enhance our country’s Public Financial Management system so that the current bailout agreement becomes the very last going forward.

Recently, an IMF team arrived in Ghana and used seven days to finalize discussions with the government on the programme.

The three-year deal, when finally approved by the IMF Board in April, is expected to help improve the country’s economy and restore investor confidence after a crunch in 2014.

The CSO also called on Parliament to ensure the passage of the Right to Information Bill (RTI) before it goes on recess this month.

“The concept of access to information is essentially people’s right to know what government is doing with the taxpayers’ money and what government plans to do in their name and on their behalf,” he said.

By Nii Ogbamey Tetteh & Melvin Tarlue