Can Ghana afford 110 ministers? – OccupyGhana asks

Pressure group, OccupyGhana has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to reconsider the number of ministers he has appointed to work under his administration.

The number of appointed ministers, as at March 16, 2017, numbered up to 110.

There has been public disapproval of the number, with a section of the public expressing its displeasure about the President’s decision on social media.

The development has also gained attention in the international media.

In his inaugural address, the president promised to protect the national purse but the appointment of 110 ministers who, in comparison to the average Ghanaian, will be earning a considerable amount of money in salaries, allowances and benefits over the next four years (in addition to enjoying a range of ex-gratia benefits when they leave office) does not seem sound to us, the group said in a press release issued March, 17, 2017.

We are aware of the plans of the new administration to enact significant changes to the way the business of government is done, in enacting its vision to help this nation develop. We are also aware that some of these changes require the requisite manpower to achieve success, it noted.

We are however, concerned at the apparent overlap in the portfolios of a number of ministers, and the number of deputies named for several ministries, it added.

It also indicated that a government’s bureaucracy must be big enough to achieve the aims of the governing administration, yet lean enough to not waste the resources of state.

Can Ghana with its present economic situation afford 110 ministers? Can we not do more with less? In creating such a huge bureaucracy, have we not increased the chances of corrupt officials? It queried.

The economy of this nation, it pointed out can only grow if the private sector flourishes and large bureaucracies are not known to facilitate the growth of any private business sector

OccupyGhana, additionally asked whether the ministers with several deputies are really needed and whether the appointment of deputy regional ministers is necessary when there are district, municipal and metropolitan chief executives.

The group advised that the Ministry for Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), should develop a set of key performance indicators (KPIs), for each ministerial position, published on the ministries website and assessed by the  President, Vice President and Minister for M&E on an annual or preferably biannual basis.

The government should further, commit to dismissing any ministers who are found wanting under such an assessment scheme, and to a constant and robust evaluation of the effectiveness of ministers and ministries, it said.

By Pamela Ofori-Boateng

Copyright ©2017 by Creative Imaginations Publicity
All rights reserved. This news item, or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in reviews