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PRESIDENT JUSTIFIES NUMBER OF MINISTERS APPOINTED
 President John Agyekum Kufuor yesterday justified the increased number of ministerial positions in his government. That is the right number to keep government business going, he explained. He said “those who have been criticising the number have not taken the pain to know and understand what governance is all about.”
President Kufuor was speaking at the swearing in of 12 deputy ministers at the Castle. Under the first four-year term of President Kufuor’s Administration, 77 ministers were appointed. In his second term, the number had increased by 10.
President Kufuor said “Government is always made up of two sides: the political and the civil service. Whilst the political side formulates policies, the side of the civil service implements them.”
He said it was unfortunate that the civil service, at the time of his assumption of office in 2001, had been so much politicised that there was “crisis of confidence” between the service and politicians.
The President said that whilst the civil service was not accountable directly to the people the political side was always accountable because they were voted into office on the basis of a manifesto. Consequently, he said, it was imperative that the required number of ministers were appointed to give the civil service the needed political direction aimed at making the vision of the Government achievable.
President Kufuor urged the critics not to compare the size of the Government of the United States of America to that of Ghana, saying the two are operating in different environments.” He called on the deputy ministers to work as a team with their ministers and also acknowledge the importance of the civil service.
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