Deputy Finance Minister-designate, Thomas Nyarko Ampem made a lighthearted remark during his vetting proceedings today.
He referenced the anticipated arrival of Deputy Minority Leader and Ranking Member on the Appointment Committee, Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
This comes after he was questioned about his knowledge of the government debt left by the previous administration.
“How much debt are you going to help your minister to settle, how much debt did you go there to meet?”
Mr Ampem, in his response, joked that the only reason he would be inclined to resist the temptation to delay discussions was the urgency to complete the matter before Afenyo-Markin arrived.
“Mr Chairman, the only reason I will want to refuse the temptation is for us to hurry up before Afenyo-Markin comes,” Mr Ampem quipped, drawing laughter from the panel members on Monday, February 24.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Finance Minister-designate reiterated that the government will prioritise internal revenue generation over excessive borrowing.
During the questioning about how the government plans to fund its expenditure without resorting to external loans, Mr Nyarko said, “We are going to aggressively pursue revenue generation and we will cut expenditure.”
“As for expenditure, we need to constrain it. Without that, we won’t be able to achieve our target. The president has already made a start by reducing the number of ministers by about 24, which signals that the government recognises the challenges we face. Everyone will be urged to follow suit,” he continued.
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