Halt ‘needless appointments’ & cut down on ministers – Akufo-Addo told

A civil society group, Right Alliance-Ghana, has described as needless and unnecessary, several of the 110 ministers and deputies appointed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

It said though the appointments are within the powers of the President, a lot of them are “needless duplication of the roles and functions of others,” noting the large size of the Akufo-Addo government be a wasteful drain on the public purse.

The appointment of 110 ministers to form the Akufo-Addo government has received a flak from Ghanaians across the political divide, and attempts by the government to justify such appointments have failed.

There are suggestions that there could be more appointments in the coming days, especially for the Office of the Special Prosecutor which the President promised in the electioneering period.

Right Alliance-Ghana has thus questioned how the president would implement his inaugural pledge of protecting the state coffers with the 110 ministers.

“We at the Right Alliance-Ghana fail to see how an over-bloated government that will invariably necessitate an increased ministerial wage bill is a protection of the public purse,” a statement issued and signed by the Executive Secretary of the group Sani Mohammed said.

The group said there is no evidence globally that suggest a large-size government brings efficiency and performance, hence it is “ridiculous and [an] insult to the intelligence of Ghanaians” for the information minister to try to justify the huge numbers of ministers.

It has consequently appealed to President Akufo-Addo to cease any further appointments and cut down on the 110 ministerial appointments he has already made, noting that “we need a lean government, not lean Ghanaians”

“We, therefore, join other concerned individuals and civil society organisations to condemn this tendency of the President towards profligacy and call on him to halt the Ministerial appointments or even cut down on the number.