Convenor for Pension Bondholders Forum, Dr Anane Antwi has asserted that governments’ deal with the International Monetary Fund(IMF) would yield progress if pensioners are exempted from the Domestic debt exchange.
According to him, the government has not come out with any specific figure that proves it would not be able to retrieve its bond investment.
“We don’t know about any deductions so since he knew, he should have explained to us yesterday that the exempted pension funds amounted to maybe 20 billion and pensioners fund is also 2 billion so if we add it together we would get this and if we deduct it from the bonds we won’t get the 80% we want,” he said.
“He didn’t say anything like that, he just said that if we are exempted the IMF deal won’t succeed. So we have the mindset that if we are exempted the deal would proceed” he added.
Speaking in a recent interview with e.tv Ghana’s Happy Morning Show Host, Samuel Eshun, the convenor maintained that “as to whether the bondholders would sell their bonds or invest it when received shouldn’t be the worry of the Minister.”
Reacting to whether the group will continue to converge at the Finance Ministry until their demands are met, Mr Anane Antwi replied,” we are praying for grace and strength that the pensioners will be strong enough to converge every day.”
Pensioner Bondholders Forum, a group fighting for the protection of the pensioners who have invested in government bonds picketed at the premises of the Finance Ministry yesterday to register their demand that its members are exempted from the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
The group in a statement explained that attempts to have their investment exempted from the programme have not been fruitful, hence their decision to converge at the Finance Ministry until their demands are met.
By: Miriam Akuetteh