Size does not matter, consider effeciency – Mustapha Hamid defends appointments

With the brouhaha surrounding the huge number of Ministers appointed under the Akufo-Addo-led government, Information Minister, Mustapha Hamid has come to the defense of the President.

According to him, the President Akufo-Addo’s ultimate goal of having a developed country with a growing economy informed the numbers as far as Ministerial appointments are concerned. He said, unlike others are suggesting, the figures don’t really count as long as they are productive and yield value for money.

“it is not the leanness or bigness of the government that determines its output and its ultimate performance….i can purport to have a government with 10 ministers and still create an avenue for them to loot the nation, if that is what the Ghanaian people want or we can have a government that is bigger than that but which has people of integrity and honesty who are on the job and doing what the things that ought to be done… it is about at the end of the day, what will be the deliverables”, he stated.

Addressing the media at a press conference, Mr. Hamid, likening the situation to the erstwhile Kufuor administration said that some previous governments despite their small numbers looted the public purse, leaving the country’s economy in a terrible state contrary to governments with bigger numbers which eventually performed much better.

“we have had in the history of this country, governments that are smaller that have landed this country in bigger debts and bigger mess than governments that have had bigger ministers. For example, the Kufuor government apart from this Akufo-Addo government apart from this Akufo-Addo government would have been the government that had the biggest number of ministers and deputy ministers but everyone knows ex-President Kufuors record in this country, those who came after that and created all the financial mess that we have on our hand that we are still dealing with, had smaller numbers”, he said.

Background

President, Nana Akufo-Addo in a letter dated March 15, 2017 addressed to the Speaker of Parliament urged the house to approve some 50 nominees appointed for various deputy ministerial roles.

See the full list below:

The names of the nominees for Ministers of State are as follows:

Minister of State at the Office of the President in charge of Public Procurement – Hon Sarah Adwoa Safo

Minister of State at the Office of the President – Brian Acheampong

Minister of State at the Ministry of Agriculture – Nurah Gyeile

Minister of State at the Ministry of Education in charge of Tertiary Education – Kwesi Yankah

For the list of deputy ministers, while some ministries have been allocated three deputies, others have one, who will support the substantive ministers to deliver on the government’s mandate.



The names of the nominees for Deputy Ministers are as follows:

Ministry of Finance – Kwaku Kwarteng, Hon Abena Osei Asare, & Charles Adu Boahen

Ministry of Energy – Hon Owuraku Aidoo, Joseph Cudjoe, Mohammed Amin Anta

Ministry of Local Government and Rural Dev’t – Hon Osei Bonsu Amoah, Collins Ntim, Kwasi Boateng Agyei

Ministry of Information – Hon Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Hon Ama Dokuaa Asiamah Agyei, Perry Curtis Kwabla Okudzeto

Ministry of Agriculture – Hon William Agyapong Quaitoo, Hon Dr Sagre Bambangi, Hon George Oduro

Ministry of Trade and Industry – Hon Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, Robert Ahomka-Lindsey

Ministry of Roads and Highways – Hon Kwabena Owusu Aduomi, Hon Anthony N-Yoh Puowele Karbo

Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources – Hon Benito Owusu Bio, Hon Barbara Oteng Gyasi

Ministry of Works and Housing – Hon Freda Prempeh, Hon Eugene Antwi

Ministry of Education – Hon Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Hon Barbara Ayisi Acher

Office of Attorney General and Ministry of Justice – Godfred Dame, Hon Joseph Dinkiok Kpemka

Ministry of Health – Hon Kingsley Aboagye Gyedu, Hon Tina Mensah

Ministry of Railways Development – Hon Kwaku Agyenim Boateng, Hon Andy Appiah-Kubi

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration – Hon Mohammed Habbib Tijani, Charles Owiredu

Ministry of Communications – Hon George Andah, Hon Vincent Sowah Odotei

Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation – Hon Patrick Boamah, Hon Michael Yaw Gyato

Ministry of Defence – Hon Maj. Derrick Oduro

Ministry of The Interior – Hon Henry Quartey

Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology and Innovation – Hon Patricia Appiagyei

Ministry of Regional Reorganisation and Development - Martin Agyei-Mensah Korsah

Ministry of Transport - Hon Nii Kwartei Titus Glover

Ministry of Employment And Social Welfare – Hon Bright Wireko Brobbey

Ministry of Fisheries And Aquaculture – Hon Francis Kingsley Ato Cudjoe

Ministry of Aviation – Hon Kwabena O. Darko-Mensah

Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs – Hon Paul Essien

Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection – Hon Gifty Twum Ampofo

Ministry of Youth And Sports – Pius Enam Hadzide

Ministry of Tourism, Creative Arts And Culture – Hon Dr Ziblim Barri Iddi

Ministry of Monitoring And Evaluation – Hon William Kwasi Sabi