Former Interior Minister Under the NDC Mahama Administration Mark Owen Woyongo has said that one of the things he regretted so much during his tenure as the Interior Minister was the International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditionalities.
Mr.Woyongo who was speaking in an exclusive interview with Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen of Apexnewsgh.com said the Interior ministry was more handicapped than today. Because during his days as Interior Minister, the Ministry were not having any funding to facilitate a lot of the things they wanted to do which includes equipping the Police Service, Immigration Service, and Prison Service
“…what I regret during my days as Interior Minister, is that we do not have the funding to do a lot of the things we wanted to do. I wanted to equip the Ghana Police Service, the Immigration Service, the Fire Service, and the Prison Service. But unfortunately, we were on IMF conditionalities. So, there was an embargo on a lot of the things we had planned to do. For example, equipping these institutions which I have mentioned, recruiting more officers. You know we don’t have enough Police officers in this country and recruiting them, means there must be more money to pay them.” He stressed
According to Mr. Woyongo, during those days he easily had issues with the then Finance Minister Seth Terkper, because whenever he approached him for a solution especially on employment, Seth Terkper will simply say they cannot employ or if you like recruit because of the IMF conditionalities, a response that always destroy his mood, especially when he struggling hard to equip them to enable them to work effectively.
” I had a problem sometimes with the Finance Minister Seth Tekper, you will go there that you want to recruit and he will say no, we cannot recruit, under the IMF, we cannot recruit now. So, that was a very big problem. But with the little scare’s resources, we managed to do a few things. For example, the Immigration Service didn’t have guns and aminations and people were patrolling our borders and we couldn’t get them gun and amination, so I had to link up with the military and some of their weapons were given to the Immigrations and some were given to the Prison Service.
I went to Turkey and met with manufacturers of some of these weapons and before I left, we have arranged for a donation weapon to the Ministry and that was before I left the Ministry of Interior.
And I think that is key, equipping the security agencies is key. Because, if you don’t equip them how will they perform? So, that was my focus. To equip them and make them have adequate numbers to operate effectively.” He said
Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen
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