Akufo-Addo defends 'size boom' govt; says number 'necessary' for success chalked

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has sought to justify the 'elephant-size' of Ministers in his administration saying the successes chalked would not have been possible were it not for the large number of appointees.

“The output would have been difficult with a smaller number,” the President responded to a question about the size of his government when he engaged the media at the Jubilee House on Friday, 13 December 2019.

There are about 125 ministers and deputies in the Akufo-Addo government currently.

Picture Different From Afar?

The New Patriotic Party (NPP), then in opposition, chastised the number of persons serving as Ministers in the Mahama-led government, and promised to cut superfluous government spending.

However, the NPP government shocked Ghanaians when it appointed 110 as Ministers, a number which has since risen to 124 following the creation of seix new regions.

Lacklustre Performance by "Family & Friends" Gov't

The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and other Civil Society Organizations have criticised government for the large size accusing it of creating needless Ministerial portfolios for "family and friends".

In July this year, former President Mahama asked the current administration to reduce the number of appointees by some 40 considering their lacklustre performance. He even promised scrap some newly created ministerial positions when he regains power in 2020, most especially the Procurement Ministry.

Large Number Of Appointees "Necessary"

But even in the face of repeated calls for the number of his ministers to be pruned since this will bring efficiency by reducing government expenditure and help balance the budget, Nana Akufo-Addo has persistently stucked to his guns.

“I still stand by the fact that the numbers were necessary for the work that we have done”, the President stressed on Wednesday at the engagement with the media.