THE size of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s government has rekindled the debate over the right size of governments that will be able to handle the challenges facing the people.
PRESIDENT Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, March 15, 2017 appointed 50 deputy ministers and 4 other Ministers of State, bringing the total of his appointees to 110, making him the first president ever since independence to have had the largest size of government.
AND since the appointments, there have been raging debates over the size of a government that we should have as a country. The issue of the size of a workable government has always become a bone of contention in many African countries particularly because the size of a government always has implications, financial and otherwise, on the nation’s scarce resources.
FORMER President John Agyekum Kufuor once said that looking at our circumstances, it would not be out of place to appoint a minister for each of the sectors of the economy. Is that assertion still relevant and is that why, looking at our present situation as a country with so many things to fix, that this regime is seeking to run a government with 110 Ministers? Maybe time will tell.
BIG governments have been seen as a drain on state resources especially where their remuneration covers a long list of allowances and freebies. Some have argued that apart from the drain of a bigger size of government, it also introduces and encourages unnecessary bureaucracy in government business. We all know the level of inefficiencies that bureaucracy brings in its wake, thus impeding the speed with which business should be done.
THIS being the argument against a bigger size government, one may ask: What is the ideal size of a government?
THE size of governments in developed countries is quite smaller and sometimes not more than 20 ministers of state. It is, however, difficult to compare the situation in developing countries to that pertaining in advanced societies. Unlike ours, the development challenges that face advanced countries when it comes to governance, are not as monumental as that faced by developing countries.
ALTHOUGH it will be difficult for anybody to say exactly what the ideal size of government should be, it is also important for us to think through the issues confronted by the nation and what skills and competencies are needed to face those issues to better the lives of the governed. We should always measure the output with the input.
THERE have been mixed reactions to the enlarged government that president Akufo-Addo is seeking to work with to deliver his mandate to the people and quite rightly so especially coming at a time when we all know that our economy is not all that strong. Today believes that going forward, we should have a national debate on the issue and perhaps make some amendments to the constitutional requirement which mandates the President to appoint whatever number of Ministers he or she needs to execute the mandate. Should we decide to debate this and agree on a ceiling for the size of government, we would wish that every Ghanaian would make their voice heard on the issue so future presidents have something reasonable to work with.
TODAY wants to believe that when such a time comes, we will look at it from non-partisan basis and agree on the size of a government that will be good for Ghana and not one political party. Our focus should be on a government that will give us value for money and deliver to the expectation of all.
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