Vincent Ekow Assafuah is the Member of Parliament of Old Tafo
The Member of Parliament of Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has urged President John Dramani Mahama to reconsider his threshold of appointing 60 ministers and to appoint additional ministers in order to effectively manage some of the ministries.
Appearing as a guest panelist on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo on Friday, February 7, 2025, Assafuah argued that some ministries require more than one minister or deputy minister to effectively operate, citing the immense workload in such sectors.
He also pointed out that the merger of several ministries has made the work more demanding and challenging, compared to previous times, which is why he believes more ministers should be appointed to manage these ministries efficiently.
“There are some places where I believe one minister is not enough. For example, the Ministry of Local Government, where I was appointed as Deputy Minister, is a big ministry. Having just one deputy minister is not enough. Currently, it has even been merged with the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.
“Appointing only one deputy minister to oversee all the assemblies is no small task and is very difficult. Some ministries are so big that I don’t think one deputy minister can handle it, and I disagree with President Mahama if he thinks one deputy minister is enough for the local government,” he said.
Assafuah acknowledged President Mahama for fulfilling his promise of having a leaner government, noting that he has so far made ministerial appointments within the 60-minister threshold.
However, he expressed reservations and concerns about whether the 60 ministers, which he believes is insufficient, will be able to effectively deliver on the president’s vision for his resetting agenda.
“So far, when it comes to the number of ministers His Excellency the president promised Ghanaians to appoint, I think he is doing well because when you look at the numbers, we are still within the 60. As to whether the 60 ministers can deliver his vision is another question and we can only wait to see if they can do so, but apart from that, the numbers are good,” he expressed.
The former Deputy Minister of Local Government advised the president to introspect and carefully reflect on his decisions, taking into account the challenges facing some of these ministries.
He urged the president to appoint more ministers in the best interest of the country.
“… Mahama, you have promised but have a deeper reflection on some of these things because the workload at the finance ministry is big. When I spoke to some of the former ministers and deputies in finance, they expressed fear. Even when they were three deputy ministers, they saw how difficult the job was and now you want to make it one.
“You have made a promise, but you can always provide a clear explanation to Ghanaians. If, upon reflection, you believe that increasing the number of ministers would be in the best interest of the country, seeking the consent of Ghanaians to raise the number to 65 or more for the betterment of Ghana would not be a bad thing,” he concluded.
MAG/AE
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