Dr Maxwell Opoku, was yesterday officially announced as the new First Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana.
The statement from the central bank stated that “the President, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has appointed Dr Maxwell Opok-Afari as the First Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana. His appointment is effective today, August 7, 2017â€.
The development follows the retirement of his predecessor – Milison Narh, on the 31st of July 2017.
Until his appointment, Dr Opoku-Afari served at the International Monetary Fund as its Deputy Division and Mission Chief – having worked with the IMF since December 2009.
With a rich academic and industry background in monetary policy making - ranging from a Bachelor’s Degree (B.A. Hons) in Economics and Statistics, an MPhil in Economics from the University of Ghana as well as a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom; Dr. Opoku-Afari’s appointment reflects the need to balance the efforts of the government in ensuring that the country’s central bank has the required leadership team to address Ghana’s critical monetary issues at the time. Â
This expectation was summarized by one of the country’s economists – Professor Godfred Bokpin in an encounter with the press.
He asserted that the appointment is, “a positive development rather than it bringing a conflict; there shouldn’t be any problem at all, I am quite happy to the extent that we are getting somebody who is well qualified; academically has got that international exposure, having worked with the IMFâ€.