President of policy think tank Institute for Liberty and Policy Innovation (ILAPI), Peter Bismark Kwofie has joined that the 85 ministers the president has proposed to work with is still huge.
He believes the president can further reduce the number to 70 or even less.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced he will appoint only 85 ministers for his second term compared to the 126 who had worked within his first term.
Per the new arrangements, the President says he will not appoint deputy regional ministers.
Seven ministries, namely Aviation, Business Development, Inner City and Zongo Development, Monitoring and Evaluation, Planning, Regional Re-organisation and Development, and the Special Development Initiatives have been realigned.
The Office of the Senior Minister has also been abolished.
Also, the President has hinted at plans to appoint a Minister in Charge of Public Enterprises, who will be operating directly under the Office of the President and not a Ministry.
The Minister will oversee a major restructuring of the entire state-owned enterprises’ sector to improve productivity, the statement added.
Meanwhile, the Inner City and Zongo Development Ministry will be brought under the Office of President with a coordinator appointed to supervise.
Aside from that, the President will appoint a Minister of State who will be assigned to the Ministry of Works and Housing in addition to the substantive minister.
The Minister of State is expected to give special focus to the critical issue of affordable, and mass housing.
In all, the President will appoint 30 Ministers, and 16 regional ministers bringing the total number of ministers to 46 of which 8 are women.
Six would be for Ministerial positions and 2 for the regions.
A new Minister for Energy will be appointed and assisted by deputies.
The statement issued from the presidency said the activities of the Special Development Initiatives and Monitoring and Evaluation would be coordinated from the Presidency.
The Aviation Ministry is to be merged with the Transport Ministry whereas the Business Development Ministry would be added to that of the Trade and Industry.
Activities of the Planning Ministry would go to the Finance Ministry.
But commenting, the ILAPI boss said: “Don’t think 85 ministers is a lean government.
At ILAPI we proposed 70 ministers or less including deputies and regional ministers. We still think Road and Highways should come under the Transport ministry. Railway development should equally come under transport.
Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Ministry should come under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture as one ministry.
Scrap the public enterprise ministry. Most public enterprises are a liability on taxpayers. In 20 years they have only brought debt to taxpayers.
What’s the ministry of parliamentary affairs doing there? We have also had the ministry of Works and Housing yet Ghanaians can’t have place of sleep. Properties are still expensive and yet a minister of state for works and housing to do what?”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com
