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
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