Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has asserted that the current value of the Cedi against the Dollar represents an improvement compared to its value during the tenure of the NDC government.
In an interview with AfricaWatch, Dr. Bawumia emphasized that the Cedi has performed relatively well under the Akufo-Addo administration, reiterating his previous claims about the currency’s stability.
He noted that despite the current global economic challenges, the depreciation of the Cedi has been sustainable, contrasting with the situation under the NDC administration.
“Why not? We use averages to measure progress in statistics and economics all the time. It is a valid comparison of the management of the exchange rate under our government versus under the NDC government. The point is that notwithstanding the major global and domestic challenges we have been through, it is remarkable that whereas the exchange-rate depreciation between 2009-2016 averaged 13.9%, between 2017-2023 it averaged 13.1%. That is a fact,” Dr Bawumia stated.
Dr. Bawumia also defended a statement he made during the NPP’s campaign in 2016, validating his comment of an exchange rate exposing a government, when its fundamentals are weak.
He attributed the current exchange rate of the country, to global crises of the Russia-Ukraine war and the 2019 COVID pandemic, among others.
“Absolutely! It is still true, and I will continue to stand by that statement. We saw that between 2017 and 2021 when the fundamentals in terms of the fiscal deficit, inflation, GDP growth, external balances, and international reserves were fairly strong, the exchange rate was relatively stable.
“But following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, the banking-sector crisis, the excess-capacity energy payments, and the lack of access to international capital markets, the fundamentals of the economy were weakened, and the fiscal deficit and debt levels increased.
“Inflation reached some 53% at the end of 2022 and you saw the exchange rate depreciate by some 30% in 2022. The fundamentals have strengthened recently, with the declining fiscal deficit, declining inflation, improved external reserves, and so on, and this has resulted in relative stability of the exchange rate. So, my statement still holds true.”
Source: Myxyzonline.com
