By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
The Minister of Finance, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, says his outfit expects the cedi’s stability to improve into the medium-term as the government completes debt restructuring and also makes more progress on fiscal consolidation, and improves the country’s reserves over the medium-term.
He further addressed the current pressures in the Cedi which he attributed to the “strengthening of the US Dollar against major trading currencies”
“The recent pressures we are observing on the cedi is largely on the back of the strengthening of the US Dollar against major trading currencies, seasonal forex demand including elevated demand from corporate institutions, payment to contractors and to IPPs, high Cedi liquidity and speculation,” Dr. Amin Adam admitted
Addressing the media at his press monthly briefing on the economy, the minister of finance stated that the depreciation of the Cedi has been largely stabilised from November 2022 to December 2023 and continues to experience a fair appreciation against the Dollar in 2024.
He further explained that the exchange rate has been largely stabilised with the depreciation of the cedi against the US Dollar halving from 54.2% at the end of Nov 2022 to 27.8% at the end of Dec 2023.
Dr. Amin Adam hinted the Cedi is expected to be strengthened in the medium term after the completion of the domestic debt exchange programme.
“But for recent pressures we are seeing on exchange rate movements, the exchange rate has been largely stabilised with the depreciation of the cedi against the US Dollar halving from 54.2% at the end of Nov 2022 to 27.8% at the end of Dec 2023.
The Cedi’s stability has continued into 2024, with a cumulative depreciation of 14.2% as of 20th May 2024, compared to 20.7% recorded in the same period in 2023.
We expect the cedi’s stability to improve into the medium-term as we complete debt restructuring, make more progress on fiscal consolidation, and improve our reserves over the medium-term.” Dr. Amin Adam stated
The finance minister enumerated a number of measures including enhancing revenue mobilisation, approval of World Bank loans, among others which he said the government is working on to further improve the strength of Cedi against some major trading currencies.