Renowned economist Kwame Asare Pianim has jumped to the defence of the Governor of the Bank of Ghana over recent calls for him to resign.
Dr Ernest Yedu Addison is under pressure to resign for not only recording a GH¢60.8 billion loss in 2022, but investing in a $250 million new head office for the central bank at a time the loss was incurred.
The decision to build the edifice, in particular, has provoked many, notably the Minority in Parliament, whose members will be embarking on a procession on Tuesday, September 5 to demand Dr Addison’s resignation.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs had given the Governor and the two Deputy Governors – Dr Maxwell Opoku-Afari and Elsie Addo Awadzi – 21 days within which to resign.
They had also called on other directors of the central bank to lay down their tools.
But speaking in an interview with Media General‘s Paa Kwesi Asare on Thursday, August 24, Mr Pianim said there will no effect if the Governor resigns and the same Finance Minister is in charge.
“Resignation doesn’t solve any problem,” he said.
“If a Governor resigns now, what happens? The same Minister for Finance who is at the core of the economic crisis with the President, they appoint somebody who doesn’t know the terrain, who hasn’t gone through this to be able to solve the problem? No.”
He said it was not through “fraud” that the losses were incurred, neither did any personal entity of Dr Addison’s benefit.
For him, the Governor must be.