By Emmanuel Bamfo 
Majority Chief Whip in Parliament, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, launched a fiery attack on the IMF, declaring that citizens must never trust the Fund again as a neutral institution. He openly accused the Washington-based lender of showing blatant political bias against the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration.
Ever watched a major global referee get accused of taking sides in a local football match? IMO, seeing a senior parliamentary leader tell the IMF to step out of local politics takes political drama to an entirely new level!
Why Dafeamekpor Claims the IMF Is Biased
The explosive confrontation follows the IMF’s Technical Assistance Report, which flagged heavy political interference and board appointments as major fiscal risks. However, Dafeamekpor insists the Fund selectively applies harsh standards whenever the NDC holds power.
Taking to his social media handles, the South Dayi lawmaker questioned why the IMF ignores similar political appointment practices during New Patriotic Party (NPP) tenures.
Key Complaints Raised Against the IMF
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Double Standards: Dafeamekpor accused the IMF of criticizing the NDC for governance practices it easily facilitated under previous NPP governments.
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Ignoring Past Precedents: He cited past appointments of prominent political figures to top boards like GPHA and COCOBOD without central bank or IMF resistance.
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Descended into Politics: The lawmaker claimed the IMF Country Director abandoned neutrality to take an active political stance against the administration.
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Gold Policy Friction: He linked this clash to an earlier “tainted” IMF report on national gold operations.
I remember reading through financial reports thinking numbers were totally objective, but local politics always reshapes how these evaluations land on the ground. Public accountability requires fair standards for every political party, not selective outrage.
The Numbers Game: Outdated Data vs Current Reality
Beyond the political jabs, a major disagreement exists over the data the IMF used to judge state enterprise performance.
IMF Relies on 2024 Data ---> [ Ignores 2025 SIGA Recovery ] ---> Accusations of Anti-NDC Bias
(GH¢282B Aggregate Debt) (GH¢19.8B Net Sector Profit) (Dafeamekpor Rejects Report)
The IMF relied heavily on 2024 data showing GH¢282 billion in SOE liabilities. However, recent SIGA performance reports show that Ghanaian SOEs rebounded sharply in 2025, recording a combined net profit after tax of GH¢19.80 billion.
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Outdated Assessments: Relying on past economic data paints an unfair picture of current governance progress.
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Ignoring Turnaround: Sweeping criticisms ignore massive profitability gains achieved across key state entities.
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Sovereignty Concerns: Parliamentarians want international lenders to respect national resource management and governance sovereignty.
FYI, telling the IMF “forgerrit, we won’t sell our gold to you” is easily the boldest statement from Parliament this year!
What Lies Ahead for Ghana-IMF Relations?
This fierce clash highlights growing tension between sovereign policymaking and international financial monitoring. While the IMF calls for independent board vetting, local leaders demand fair, non-partisan evaluations that reflect real-time economic progress.
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