The leadership of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCC) has called for prayers for Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to gain God’s wisdom and direction regarding the Domestic Debt Exchange programme.
A statement issued by the Council on Thursday, January 19 asking the Finance Minister to suspend the debt exchange programme for further engagement, said “The leadership of the Christian Council of Ghana will continue to pray for the managers of our economy, especially the finance minister, for God’s wisdom and direction in this matter, and we urge all churches to do same.
“We strongly believe that God will see us through this difficult situation. Let us keep our hopes alive.”
The Council further stated that it has examined the concerns of the Individual Bondholders Association of Ghana (IBHAG), the Pensioner Bondholders Forum, church members and the general public and has identified lapses in the debt restructuring programme, a major one being lack of consultation with affected individuals and institutions.
“With the current economic hardships in the country and the agitations among the general public, it is in the nation’s interest for the Finance Ministry to suspend the 31 st January deadline given to individuals to sign on to the program and rather propose a road map for dialogue to make the process participatory such that the outcome would be acceptable to all.
“The Council believes that thorough engagements with stakeholders would help the government to appreciate the concerns of the Ghanaian people and put measures in place to address some of the challenges of the programme.
“The CCG also wants to encourage the media to be diligent with reportage on the debt restructuring program and ensure that they speak to professionals on the matter to avoid false information that would further heighten the already situation of fear and panic in the country,” a statement issued by the Council on Thursday, January 19 said.
It added “The leadership of the Christian Council of Ghana will continue to pray for the managers of our economy, especially the finance minister, for God’s wisdom and direction in this matter, and we urge all churches to do same. We strongly believe that God will see us through this difficult situation. Let us keep our hopes alive.”
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana