The Member of Parliament for Effutu and Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo Markin, has argued that President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to appoint only 60 ministers will not be effective in running the country.
During the 2024 campaign, both leading presidential candidates, John Dramani Mahama and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, pledged to run lean governments with 60 and 50 ministers, respectively.
This was in response to calls by civil society organizations and Ghanaians advocating for a lean government to enhance efficiency and reduce costs.
Staying true to his campaign promise, President Mahama, after being sworn in, reduced the number of ministries by seven and announced his intention not to appoint deputy ministers for some ministries.
However, speaking on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, January 23, Afenyo Markin urged the President to reconsider his decision, suggesting that it would undermine the effectiveness of his
administration.
“Sixty ministers will not help your political course. When civil society comes up with narratives suggesting everything is done by the political class, instead of us boldly explaining the intricacies of politics, we fall into their trap and make political commitments,” Afenyo Markin stated.
“I don’t doubt the competence of Honourable Ahmed Ibrahim, but with a huge ministry like Local Government, managing conflicts and negotiations for peace in local governance is a complex task. Mr. Speaker, I am not the President, but if I were to advise him, I would say, ‘Mr. President, you can apologize to Ghanaians and admit you underestimated task. I think you need to appoint more ministers,” he emphasized.
