On Saturday, I was driving through the University of Legon campus, in a four-wheel drive, when one of a small group of young men (about 8 in all) at a junction, shouted “Ghana money!” at me. I patiently got to a safer part of the road, turned the vehicle around and drove back to the students to have a small not-so-friendly chat.

I told them how disappointed I was in their exhibition of envy as they prepare themselves for a competitive adult world. I told them that I was also once a student and worked hard to get to where I am today and continue to work hard to get better. I would hate for them to go through all that to be envied for trying to be successful through hard work. I advised them, in not so many words, not to equate success to corruption when they have no basis and to rather celebrate success, be inspired by it and aspire to it.

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A mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), led by Christina Daseking, visited Accra during April 2-12, 2013, to conduct discussions for the 2013 Article IV consultations. The mission met with President Mahama, Vice-President Amissah-Arthur, Finance Minister Terkper, Bank of Ghana Governor Wampah, other senior officials, members of parliament, and representatives of the private sector, think tanks, trade unions, and civil society.

At the end of the mission, Ms. Daseking issued the following statement:

“Economic growth continued at a robust pace of 8 percent in 2012 amid rising fiscal and external imbalances. A growing public sector wage bill, costly energy subsidies, and higher interest cost, pushed the fiscal deficit to about 12 percent of GDP. The external current account deficit also widened to 12 percent of GDP, while unadjusted fuel and energy prices and a tightening of monetary policy helped keep inflation in single digits.

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The list of the 705 voters submitted by the Electoral commission as being names of Ghanaians registered in various diplomatic missions abroad to vote in the December 2012 polls, “was actually forged and contained several instances of multiple names and fake identities.”

This revelation is contained in the main affidavit of the petitioners in the presidential election petition challenging the outcome of the December polls as declared by the Electoral Commission.

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