Akufo-Addo won’t reduce ‘elephant’ size gov’t – Spokesperson replies Mahama

Government Spokesperson on Governance & Legal Affairs, Herbert Krapa has said reducing government size is not necessarily the measure to drastic spending cuts by the government.

“The expenditure on Ministers has no significant effect on the Ghanaian economy. If the former President has the figures to challenge what I’m saying he should bring it up for debate.” Mr Krapa told Kasapa 102.5 Fm Wednesday.

The remarks is in direct response to former President Mahama’s campaign for President Nana Akufo-Addo to decrease the number of his ministers and deputy ministers after shooting up the size of government to levels not seen in history.

The number of ministers serving under the Nana Akufo-Addo government jumped from 110 to 123 ministers in February 2019, following the appointment of ministers and deputy ministers to the six newly created regions.

However, adding his voice to the concerns about government’s increasing budget overruns, the former President noted: “there can be no justification for some of the ministerial portfolios created by this administration.”

“The Senior Minister, Minister of State in the Office of Vice President, Minister of State in the Office of Senior Minister, Ministers for Procurement, Monitoring, and Evaluation, Business Development, Special Initiatives, Aviation, Railway Development are all an unnecessary charge on the public purse”, President Mahama stated at a closed-door meeting with some disappointed business owners and importers in his office.

Reacting to Mr. Mahama’s tirade against President Akufo-Addo’s elephant size government, the government Spokesperson on Governance & Legal Affairs, Herbert Krapa said on the contrary, the Ministers and Deputy Ministers under this government being contested by Mr Mahama are the driving force in this administration pushing hard the agenda to revive the economy.

“… If the problem has to do with some Ministers not being up to the task, the President will go back to the drawing board and make decisions. But I’m not sure President Akufo-Addo will reduce the size of his government as we speak now considering how things are panning out in the economy. They are the game-changers in the Ghanaian economy and are really delivering for the President, according to their respective tasks,” he told sit-in host Akwasi Nsiah on Anopa kasapa on Kasapa 102.5 Fm.

The Flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has challenged President Nana Akufo-Addo to immediately cut the size of his government by about 40 Ministers and Deputy Ministers.

This, he says, will bring efficiency by reducing government expenditure and help balance the budget.

Mr. Mahama says the reduction of the number of ministers will make no difference to the already lackluster performance of the Akufo-Addo administration.

He also argued that with the completion of the creation of new regions, the Ministry for Regional Reorganization has been rendered redundant. Mr. Mahama further called for the reduction in the number of ministers responsible for Security.