US$3bn IMF Bailout: Please help Ghana clinch this cash – Akufo-Addo begs Japanese PM

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has appealed to the government of Japan to help Ghana clinch a seal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $3-billion bailout.

At a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Jubilee House, President Akufo-Addo said Japan, a member of the Paris Club, has a major role to play in Ghana securing the deal.

Ghana can only get the deal after securing the needed financing assurances from the gold, oil and cocoa-producing country’s bilateral partners, most of them being members of the Paris Club.

“Ghana is also counting on the support of Japan in reaching a favourable agreement with the International Monetary Fund which will pave the way for the robust recovery of Ghana’s economy,” President Akufo-Addo said.

Meanwhile, the London-based Economic Intelligence Unit has predicted that the board of the International Monetary Fund is likely to approve the US$3 billion extended credit facility for Ghana by mid-2022.

In its latest report, the EIU explained that the delay would be caused by prolonged negotiations in relation to the restructuring of Ghana’s external debt between the country and its bilateral partners.

Ghana approached the IMF in mid-2022 for a bailout.

The government has, so far, concluded a domestic debt exchange programme.

It is currently in talks with China and the Paris Club toward securing financing assurances for the restructuring of its external debt.

Both the IMF and the US government have urged the bilateral partners to speed up the process for Ghana but a deal is yet to be announced.

A few weeks ago, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta said the deal would be clinched in May this year.

This was after a March deal announced by President Nana Akufo-Addo failed to materialise.

The EIU, in its 2023 country report on Ghana, said given the country’s pressing macroeconomic crisis, “the conclusion of a domestic debt-swap operation in February and increasing international attention on speeding up external debt restructuring, our core forecast remains that the IMF programme will be approved by mid-2023.”

“We expect Ghana to secure restructuring agreements on its public external debt during 2023-24, involving official and private creditors alike,” the London-based political and economic analyst said.

“This will include a combination of write-offs, maturity extensions and reductions in interest rates,” it noted.

It added: “We expect official creditors to agree to a deal in 2023 and this, combined with the domestic debt restructuring that has already been secured, should provide enough reassurance to reduce Ghana’s risk of debt distress and allow the IMF to approve the agreed programme.”

“However, there is a material risk that IMF board approval will be delayed owing to prolonged external debt-restructuring negotiations, given the involvement of multiple stakeholders in the process,” it noted.