Leader of Arise Ghana, Bernard Mornah, has accused former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta of presiding over Ghana’s economic collapse and has called for his immediate return from the United States to face accountability.

To press their demands, Arise Ghana on Tuesday, January 20 organised a demonstration at the United States Embassy in Ghana, coinciding with the day Mr Ofori-Atta appeared before a court in the US over immigration-related issues.

Speaking to JoyNews at the protest grounds, Mr Mornah clarified that developments surrounding the former finance minister’s immigration status in the United States were separate from their protest.

He explained that Mr Ofori-Atta had allegedly overstayed his visa and subsequently applied for permanent residency, a situation that reportedly led to his detention by US authorities while his application is under review.

Turning to Ghana’s economic challenges, Mr Mornah squarely blamed the former finance minister for what he described as the country’s economic decline.

“We are insisting that Ken has been responsible for the economic abortion that this nation has gone through. The premature births that this nation suffered are all the consequences of the policies of Ken Ofori-Atta,” he said.

Mr Mornah further alleged that Mr Ofori-Atta misappropriated public funds through Enterprise Insurance, a company he founded and later transferred to his wife.

“Ken and his administration have not denied that they took over 10 million and gave it to Enterprise Insurance,” he claimed.

He also questioned the absence of beneficiaries for an insurance policy reportedly meant for frontline workers.

“What is alleged about their admission that the money was given? What is alleged about the fact that they themselves accept that there was no beneficiary listed for the insurance that they said they were going to provide for frontline workers?” he asked.

Mr Mornah insisted that any funds wrongly disbursed must be returned to the state.

“We are saying that they should return all those funds so that the people of Ghana can use these resources judiciously,” he added.

The protest comes at a time when Mr Ofori-Atta remains outside the country amid ongoing investigations by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) into several transactions approved during his tenure.

Ken Ofori-Atta served as Ghana’s Finance Minister from 2017 to 2024 under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration and has been at the centre of multiple controversies involving alleged financial mismanagement and procurement-related concerns.

The OSP has previously announced investigations into issues including revenue assurance contracts, public debt restructuring processes, and payments made under sole-sourcing arrangements.

Mr Ofori-Atta’s legal team has maintained that he remains willing to cooperate with lawful investigations, citing health and security concerns for his temporary stay outside Ghana.