Your 125 ministers 'Guinness World Record' – Mahama to Akufo-Addo

Former President John Mahama has said the size of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government is now a Guinness World Record.

In a Facebook Live interaction with the public, the flag bearer of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) said: “I think two days ago, I spoke about [the size of this government] and recommended to the President that he should reduce the size of his government by about 40 ministers, immediately. He can let 40 ministers go, it will not have any effect at all on the current performance of his government, but I think that: (1) it’s symbolic and (2) the impact it has”.

Mr Mahama explained that: “It’s symbolic because when Ghanaians are going through difficulties and you come with a government the size of 125 ministers – which I’m told is a Guinness World Record – amongst all countries, we have the biggest number of ministers, then people feel that you are not taking them seriously”.

According to Mr Mahama, dropping 40 ministers will bring efficiency by reducing the expenditure of the government and help balance the budget.

Speaking during a closed-door meeting with some disappointed business owners and importers in his office on Monday, 19 August 2019, the former President noted, in reaction to concerns about the government’s increasing budget overruns, that: “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 the Senior Minister, Ministers of Procurement, Monitoring and Evaluation; Business Development, Special Initiatives, Aviation, Railway Development are all an unnecessary charge on the public purse”, Mr Mahama stated.

He also argued that with the completion of the creation of new regions, the Ministry of Regional Reorganisation has been rendered redundant.

Mr Mahama further called for the reduction in the number of ministers responsible for security.

He described as unconscionable the appointment of over 60 deputy ministers and pledged to drastically cut the size of government if Ghanaians gave him the mandate to serve a second term from January 2021.