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Opinions of Wednesday, 18 January 2023

Columnist: Dr. John-Baptist Naah

Ghanaians NEED a reduction of ministries but not late reshuffles after the malfunctioning of the economy

President Akufo-Addo with some minsters President Akufo-Addo with some minsters

President Akufo-Addo was trying so hard and succeeded in his first term to convince Ghanaians that he needed such an elephantine size of government to deliver his over-ambitious agenda after the 2016 victory.

The Opposition, NDC, and well-meaning Ghanaians were so skeptical about this move but it was rejected. The President’s notion of a Plus-size government remained unchanged coupled with turning death ears to calls for a major reshuffle of non-performing ministers even after the 2020 General elections.

Nana Akufo-Addo’s cousin, Ken Ofori-Atta has incredibly run the economy aground, got censured by Parliament, and yet the President refused to sack him to date. This is a naked show of familial commitment and favoritism called nepotism! The current suicidal economic and general living conditions in Ghana have long been written so boldly on the wall but ignored again.

By either design or sheer fear of intimation, Ghanaians appeared to have infinite elasticity of endurance for the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led government despite the woeful and abysmal handling of this history-making economic crisis. This is indeed unprecedented in comparison with former President Mahama’s regime.

As if the ‘Takashi’ passage of the E-levy, astronomical hikes in prices of basic goods and services, ballooning inflation and borrowing are not enough, Ghanaians have been hit heavily again with the most excruciating Domestic Debt Exchange Programme to rope in vulnerable individual Bondholders.

Surprisingly, this government caused the current economic mess, ignored good counsel from various quarters in the country, and now turn around to punish the very people who voted them into power twice without demonstrating any modicum of sensitivity and burden-sharing with the citizenry.

The least Ghanaians NEED NOW is a serious reduction of duplicated ministries to substantially reduce expenditure but not long overdue rumors of a ministerial reshuffle. The premonition of Dr. Nyarko Tamakloe has come to pass! Ghanaians have indeed learned a very bitter lesson for voting for Nana Akufo-Addo as president.

The time for Ghanaians to exercise their franchise again is just two years away from now. Be determined and focused to let the ruling NPP Party know where citizens’ power lies by showing them the exit door of political power in 2024. The policy and public space are meant for rendering selfless service for the general good and require selfless leaders who are, by word and deed, ready to sacrifice for those they lead.