This was the outcome of round 7 of the Centre for Democratic Development’s (CDD) Afrobarometer survey.

Presenting the findings, CDD Research Fellow, Newton Yaw Norviewu said the survey, which was conducted among 2400 respondents in 171 districts across all ten regions of the country, also revealed that most Ghanaians believe that local assembly authorities do not listen to their residents.

This was also confirmed by 65 percent of the respondents.

Election of MMDCEs

The survey also revealed that over half of the people in the Upper West Region do not agree with the election of Metropolitan Municipal District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).

About 52% of the population in the survey said the President should continue to appoint local Chief Executives.

President Nana Addo has given indications that grassroots people will be involved in the election of their MMDCEs.

Even though the afro barometer report shows that people in all other regions welcome the policy, the people of the Upper West Region disagree.

Sabotage?

The debate of election of MMDCEs has lingered for some time, with some Ghanaians looking forward to its implementation.

The proposal has received varied views from analysts in the field of local governance.

Whereas some have complained that the country’s local governance system risk sabotage if MMDCEs are elected, others think otherwise.

The fear of sabotage stems from the fact that, an MCE could be elected from an opposition party, whereas the Central government will be controlled by another party.

The suggestion is that, such an MCE may be sabotaged by the central government, by being refused their allocation of the necessary resources to achieve the Assembly’s set objectives.

NPP promises to make it possible 

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) in its 2016 manifesto, promised to “oversee the direct election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) within 24 months of election into office, to coincide with the next District Assembly elections in 2019.”

This was reaffirmed by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who promised that “In 2018, we are going to move to fully elected District Assembly representations including the choice of the District Chief Executive (DCE). It is going to be done by the people of the districts and no longer by the nomination of the President.”

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By: Sixtus Dong Ullo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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This number rises to 39 percent for residents in the Upper West and Northern Regions, the report (which can be viewed here) stated.

But on the whole, 81 percent of Ghanaians are of the view that citizens must always rely on police to deal with suspected criminals.

Ghana’s problem with mob justice was firmly in the spotlight in 2017 a when an officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion, Major Maxwell Mahama, was killed by a mob on his daily jogging routine in May 2017, when he was suspected of being an armed robber.

Observers have described the phenomenon of mob justice in Ghana as a manifestation of citizens frustrations with the justices system.

Political Party vigilantism

On the issue of political vigilantism, 88 percent of Ghanaians believe it is “wrong and punishable” for party vigilantes to attack government appointees whose appointment they disagree with.

Fifty-three (53) percent of Ghanaians said the government performed “fairly well” or “very well” in handling the criminal activities of political-party vigilante groups.

The past 13 months have seen consistent attacks on various state institutions by aggrieved New Patriotic Party youth groups.

The President was recently compelled to suspend the Upper West Regional Minister, Sulemana Alhassan, over reports he obstructed the course of justice after some NPP youth besieged the offices of the Upper West Regional National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), and assaulted the Regional Director’s aide.

The suspension is likely to sit well with most Ghanaians as almost nine of 10 Ghanaians, representing 88 percent “approve” or “strongly approve” of the government prosecuting and punishing political-party vigilantes who engage in acts of lawlessness.

About the report

Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan research network that conducts public attitude surveys on democracy, governance, economic conditions, and related issues across more than 35 countries in Africa. Six rounds of surveys were conducted between 1999 and 2015, and Round 7 surveys (2016/2018) are currently underway. Afrobarometer conducts face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice with nationally representative samples.

The Afrobarometer team in Ghana, led by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), interviewed 2,400 adult Ghanaians between September 9 and 25, 2017. A sample of this size yields results with a margin of error of +/-2% at a 95% confidence level. Previous surveys have been conducted in Ghana in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2012, and 2014.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post 15% of Ghanaians support mob justice – Afrobarometer survey appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The series, held under the theme: Socio-Economic and Corporate Governance, came off at the Coconut Groove Regency Hotel and had notable personalities speaking on a variety of topics centred on the theme.

The speakers included: Citi Breakfast Show Host, Bernard Avle, who spoke on Socio-Economic and Corporate Governance; John Jinapor, MP for Yapei Kusawgu who spoke on Perspectives of the Minority, Dr Charles Ackah and Kofi Blankson, who both spoke on Socio-Governance, Professor Kwesi Prempah who spoke on Corporate Governance and Pauline Anaman who addressed participants on Energy and Power.

The event was moderated by Dr Esi Ansah and had all the speakers sharing their analysis on the first year of the Akufo-Addo Government.

Many shared the view that a year may not be enough time to adequately rate the Government as they were still in their implementation stage.

However, the speakers still expressed varied opinions on the successes and shortcomings of the current administration.

Prof Kwesi Prempeh chided the Akufo Addo administration for what termed the partisanship element that has characterized the various appointments to State Boards and Corporate Bodies.

He stated that the government has failed to sanitize the appointment processes, leading to a scramble based on partisan considerations rather than on qualification by merit.

Meanwhile, corporate governance analyst Kofi Blankson said that though the Akufo-Addo administration campaigned heavily on poverty alleviation and the improvement of livelihoods, not much had been done to address these issues within the first year of its tenure.

Former Deputy Power Minister John Jinapor gave the Akufo-Addo government a Fair Pass rating after its first year.

The Member of Parliament for Yapei/Kusawgu advised the President to be truthful to the Ghanaian people on the reality that not all the campaign promises his party made prior to being elected may be actualized.

Organized by CDD Ghana, the event is set to be an annual one aimed at reviewing policies and their implementation by the Government as well as deliberating on various ways to promote democracy, good governance, and economic openness in Ghana and Africa.

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By: AJ Sarpong/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The CDD, in a statement to commend Ghana for maintaining its democratic credentials over the period, said it was dismayed that “governmental accountability and responsiveness have remained highly insufficient [despite delivery of considerable voice to citizenry under the 4th Republic].”

[contextly_sidebar id=”bOXriUkRXNNbwYqgcLdaquhJjclpKnZ1″]It lamented that “public corruption remains pervasive; progress of the constitutionally-mandated political, administrative and fiscal decentralization has stalled; the economy remains characterized by jobless growth; income and spatial inequality are on the rise in spite of poverty reduction; and the nation’s two main political parties which have alternated in power in the 4th Republic have increasingly taken on the features of rival cults (whose primary purpose seemingly is to win elections, achieve “state capture” and practice “winner-takes-all” politics).”

Ghana today commemorated 25 years of the 4th Republic, which has so far seen the leadership of 5 presidents including the incumbent, Nana Akufo-Addo.

Many have described the journey as a successful one filled with peace and stability, however, CDD believes that the country has failed in other important areas such as a constitutional reform address the problem of overconcentration of legal and constitutional power in hands of the Executive.

“While we deservingly celebrate our longest running constitutional order since independence, we must also pause
to reflect on the things we must do to consolidate and deepen the gains made possible by the 4th Republican
Constitution. The list is long, but we can start by passing the 17-year old Right to Information Bill and reforming the
public office-holder asset disclosure regime to promote governmental transparency and accountability as well as
curb corruption in the public sector,” the statement noted.

It further called for the strengthening of the country’s Parliament to enable it to play an effective oversight role over the Executive to ensure accountability in governance, arguing that President Akufo-Addo’s aim of making Ghana a country beyond aid can only be realised when elections are held for MMDCEs as a way of promoting local government decentralization and effectiveness.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The report stated that, 50 percent of the respondents believe “some” of the officials at the Flagstaff House are corrupt,  while 11 percent of respondents believe none of them are.

[contextly_sidebar id=”pqGBUumtZYPOzH07JdLYWPWzhzFmczSO”]According to Afrobarometer, their team in Ghana interviewed 2,400 adult Ghanaians between September 9 and 25, 2017.

The Round 7 report launched by the CDD on Tuesday, which studied the perception of corruption about officials and personalities in the public and private sector,  also indicates that 59 percent of Ghanaians believe all or most police officers are corrupt.

Only three percent of the respondents believed that no police officer has engaged in acts of corruption.

“Six in 10 Ghanaians (59%), say most or all police officials are corrupt, and substantial proportions say the same about judges and magistrates (38%), national government officials (35%), and other public leaders. Perceptions of corruption in the private sector are somewhat lower,” the report said.

The figure is slightly lower for judges and magistrates with 38 percent of Ghanaians believing that all or most judges are corrupt.

32 percent of Ghanaians believe that all or most Members of Parliament are corrupt, while 31 percent of the respondents held the same view for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).

Traditional and Religious leaders were also named in the report, with 28 percent of respondents perceiving the former to be corrupt, while 17 percent perceive most or all religious leaders as corrupt.

Name, shame and prosecute corrupt officials 

The report also revealed that, most Ghanaians want stiffer punishments for officials who are found to have engaged in corruption.

64℅ of the respondents called on the government to name, shame and prosecute officials who have misappropriated state funds.

The survey also indicated that, Ghanaians want the government to recover funds which were pocketed by these state officials.

‘Gov’t can deal with corruption’

In the 2014 Afrobarometer report,  64 percent of respondents thought that corruption had increased.

The report also said 20 percent of Ghanaians did not believe in the capability of the political system to fight corruption.

However, in the new report, most Ghanaians have expressed increased confidence in the government’s ability to fight corruption.

“There is a rise in public confidence in government’s efforts to combat corruption in 2017, compared to 2014. This is after over a decade of decline,” the report added.

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By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post 27% of Ghanaians think Presidents, staffers are corrupt – Report appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to CDD-Ghana, the verdict is also a setback to efforts put in place to promote decency in Ghana’s politics.

“The verdict in the case of the ‘Delta Thirteen’ may be pleasing to NPP-affiliated organs and their supporters. However, the outcome of the verdict can only foster impunity, undermine the rule of law and reinforce a dangerously negative political culture. This development has dealt another devastating blow to the keen desire of many Ghanaians for justice and the rule of law,” CDD said in a statement.

13 Delta Force members fined GHc1,800 each

[contextly_sidebar id=”ngxaqAFtfyzuO3sluTLZlQP4EKOyVbFF”]A court in Kumasi in the Asanti Region last week, fined the 13 Delta Force members GHc1,800.

They were facing trial on counts of conspiracy to commit crimes and rioting, after they were captured in a video manhandling the  Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator, George Adjei.

According to the Center, the amount was a ‘slap-on-the-wrist’, and may go to encourage many political hooligans to perpetuate crime in the country.

“The ‘slap-on-the-wrist’ punishment given to a group of ruling party-affiliated criminal suspects only reinforces the unfortunate impression that incumbent party members and affiliates who break the law can count on the protection of the powers that be, and would not face the full rigors of the law,” CDD added in the statement.

Control vigilante groups now else…

The Head of Programs at the CDD, Kojo Asante, who further spoke on the matter on the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday, called on government to curb the menace of vigilante groups in the country immediately, before they get out of hand.

“You cannot convince the ordinary man on the street that this is justice; because just as you are doing this, there are people that have been jailed for owing someone GHc200. So you cannot create this kind of reality in society and expect that law and order will be respected.”

“This is a high profile case and it was completely bungled. I really think that if we don’t draw a line, we will really get to a point that you can’t really control them [vigilante groups] because there are many of them out there,” he added.

Read the CDD’s full statement below:

CDD-Ghana Statement on the Delta Force Verdict

The Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) is deeply disappointed with the conclusion to the seven-month long case involving the thirteen members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)-affiliated political vigilante group, the Delta Force.

On Thursday, October 19 2017, the Asokwa Circuit Court in Kumasi in the Ashanti region imposed a fine of GH¢ 1,800 on each of the accused, or in default, serve a 12-month jail term, after they pleaded guilty to a substituted misdemeanor charge of “Conspiracy to Commit a Crime by Rioting”.

Ghanaians will recall that in March of this year, members of the Delta Force, displeased with the appointment of the Ashanti Region Security Coordinator, Mr. George Adjei, forcibly entered his office and physically assaulted him. A video of the incident was widely circulated on social media.

The police arrested twenty suspects and arraigned them before the Kumasi Circuit Court but only thirteen showed up. In addition, the President, Inspector General of Police and Interior Minister assured Ghanaians that such impunity and lawlessness would not be allowed under their watch.

The case against the suspects was aggravated by the brazen show of wanton disregard for law and order on the day of their Court appearance when members of the Delta Forces stormed the Court, verbally assaulted the presiding Judge and forcibly freed the suspects – in the full glare of state security officials.

Subsequently, only token fines were awarded against the freed suspects; another eight suspects who were involved in the violence at the Court were discharged for lack of evidence. While CDD-Ghana acknowledges that the process leading to the verdict followed the rule of law, it is also saddened by the leniency of the judgment.

Considering that activities of political party vigilante groups are still rife, this verdict represents a setback in efforts to promote decency in politics. What is more disturbing with this case is continuous failure of institutions in the criminal justice system to professionally discharge their constitutional duty in order to preserve the integrity of the state and uphold the standards of what is right and wrong in our society.

For instance, with all the intelligence they possessed, the security agencies could have averted the invasion by providing necessary protection for the Coordinator. Similarly, if the security agencies had learned from the first incident, and provided the necessary security at the courthouse, knowing the group in question the gross interference with the cause of justice could have been avoided.

The bungling of such a high profile case by institutions in the criminal justice system can only further undermine trust of the justice system and violates the fundamental rights of Ghanaians that everyone is equal before the law.

The verdict in the case of the ‘Delta Thirteen’ may be pleasing to NPP-affiliated organs and their supporters. However, the outcome of the verdict can only foster impunity, undermine the rule of law and reinforce a dangerously negative political culture. This development has dealt another devastating blow to the keen desire of many Ghanaians for justice and the rule of law.

The ‘slap-on-the-wrist’ punishment given to a group of ruling party-affiliated criminal suspects only reinforces the unfortunate impression that incumbent party members and affiliates who break the law can count on the protection of the powers that be, and would not face the full rigors of the law.

Indeed, it is also a major victory for a baneful phenomenon in Ghanaian politics: political vigilantism and hooliganism – which the Center and other civil society actors have flagged as posing a mortal danger to democratic politics and national peace.

Finally, CDD-Ghana hopes that all stakeholders interested in improving and sustaining democratic governance in Ghana heed the call to action to find a lasting solution to the problem of political vigilantism. And that the institutions of the criminal justice system will act to honor the letter and spirit of the Constitution, and as well serve a notice of deterrence should similar incidents occur in the future.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post ‘Lenient’ Delta Force sentence to breed lawlessness – CDD Ghana appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

A Citi News team is currently in the region, interacting with the miners and other stakeholders, as part of the station’s #StopGalamseyNow campaign, which was launched on Monday.

The team is there to engage illegal miners on how best to end the menace. The team will also take the campaign to Koforidua, the capital of the Eastern Region.

Commending Citi FM for the initiative, the Eastern Regional Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers, Daniel Affadu, said they will also educate their pupils on the harmful effects of galamsey.

“We need to all come together as a country to stop it, otherwise we are destroying our future. As an educator, we are calling on all, especially chiefs, traditional leaders, opinion leaders, Assembly members, political parties and everyone, to ensure that the galamsey menace is dealt with. We congratulate Citi FM for championing this course, we are with you. We are educating our children, and as a union, we are also concerned, we are talking to our members because it is endemic in this particular part of our country,” he added.

#StopGalamseyNow is a campaign that calls on government to undertake five steps to clamp down on the menace which is destroying the county’s land and water resources, and may see Ghana resorting to the importation of clean water in the next two decades.

Citi FM’s five demands include:

• The total cessation of all small and medium scale mining for a period of six months
• The cessation of the issuance of new mining licences for a year
• The reclassification of mining categories to reflect the use of new/larger equipment
• The allowance of water bodies to regenerate their natural ecology
• Tree planting and a land reclamation project

More CSOs support #StopGlamseyNow campaign

A number of Civil Society Organistions and institutions have thrown their weight behind Citi FM for the #StopGalamseyNow campaign.

Some of them includes IMANI Ghana, the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) among others.

Other Organisations such as the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC)and some other Ghanaians took to Twitter to express their support for the initiative.

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By: Kojo Agyeman & Neil Amatey Karnaku/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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President Akufo-Addo’s appointment of 110 ministers and deputies, has been met with widespread criticism, with the CDD itself saying it set a negative record for Ghana, but the president has defended his government size, saying the unprecedented problems confronting Ghana demands a large government.

[contextly_sidebar id=”SUBRBtTB9ooK5s60RVsBVtK6wQV6kTHw”]He insisted that the problems facing the country, including a decline in the agriculture sector, corruption, the low growth rate of the economy, and the revenue leaks, require bold measures to address them.

In a Citi News interview, the Head of Research and Programs at the CDD, Dr. Franklin Oduro, said the large government size could present Ghana with additional problems, and suggested that the decision may not have been well-thought through.

“There is no doubt that there was some basis in which the president considered making those appointments, but it is also important to note that, there is no evidence to suggest that by appointing such large numbers, they are able to solve the problems that the president is talking about,” Dr. Oduro said.

“We haven’t thought about the potential of inefficiencies, improper coordination and the impact that it might have on the bureaucracy which is already weak, and also the cost that it would add to the national purse. In all of this, we have to weigh the pros and cons.”

“There are also concerns, in our view, with duplication in terms of some of those appointments, the potential for conflict and improper coordination and also the effect it might have on the bureaucracy and even on parliament,” Dr. Oduro said.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Large gov’t won’t guarantee success – CDD to Nana Addo appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

All the communities in the region scored zero in the assessment of household access to toilet facilities.

Each household is by policy required to have a toilet facility in it, and the district league table measured the implementation of this policy at the community level by the various MMDAs. Research Officer at the Center for Democratic Governance (CDD) Ghana, Mohammed Awal blames this on poor urban planning.

The District League table is an assessment of the performance of MMDAs in Education, Health, Security, Water, Sanitation & Governance. The Districts are thus measured on indicators such as BECE pass rate, rural water coverage, and community open defecation certification.

It also measures the MMDAs on skilled delivery services in the health sector, police to population coverage and FOAT performance.

Overall, La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal, Tema Metropolitan, and Awutu Senya East Municipal topped the 2016 League Table, while North Tongu, Ekumfi, and East Gonja Districts came last.

Below is the 2016 district league table:

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By: Sixtus Dong Ullo/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @Sixtus Ullo

The post Open-defecation still common in Greater Accra appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the center, Akufo-Addo’s 110 ministers and deputies is ‘unprecedented’ and ‘obscene’ and likely to have a negative impact on the public purse.

[contextly_sidebar id=”RuULLVKNXb6cro6HdT7tUWKHpKBR4BOt”]CDD in a release copied to citifmonline.com, expressed dismay at President Akufo-Addo’s appointments, saying it sets a negative record for Ghana, which is already famous in the sight of the global community for having over-sized ministerial teams.

The release issued on Thursday March 16, 2017, said “appointments betray inadequate sensitivity to the weak fiscal condition of the country today, as it flies in the face of the President’s promise to protect the public purse.”

It expressed shock the president was not guided by the examples of “Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and John Magafuli of Tanzania who significantly downsized their governments to signify “change” upon assumption of office” but went ahead to “lowering the bar of unwisely ministerial size and government in Ghana’s 4th Republic.”

Publish salaries and emoluments

The strongly worded statement called on the president to publish the salaries and emoluments of all appointed public office holders so Ghanaians can appreciate the true of cost of governing the country.

It further expressed hope that the president would not recruit technocrats and advisers to serve in the ministries since that will further bloat the current government size.

While urging Akufo-Addo to be “sensitive to the voice of the people and take steps to reduce the growing burden on the public purse,” the CDD called for a law to be passed to put a ceiling on the maximum number of ministers and deputies a president can appoint.

Read the full release below:

CDD-GHANA STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT AKUFO-ADDO’S APPOINTMENT OF 110 MINISTERS AND DEPUTY MINISTERS

The Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) is deeply dismayed by reports that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has nominated an additional 54 people to serve as ministers or deputies to the various ministries.

When confirmed by Parliament, as they are more than likely to, that would bring the total number of ministers and deputy ministers appointed so far in the Akufo-Addo-led NPP government to an unprecedented 110.

CDD-Ghana considers this move and the obscene number of ministers a wrong one for several reasons:

First, it would represent the largest ministerial team assembled by any president/head of state of Ghana since independence. In addition, it also sets a negative record for a country infamous for its oversized ministerial teams.

The United States, a larger and more economically and financially complex country has approximately 46 ministers. Similarly, India, a country of some 1.3 billion has 75 ministers. It is being argued that the large ministerial team will bring more focus, supervision, and efficiency to President Akufo-Addo’s ambitious governance and socio-economic plans.

In the Center’s view, this argument is weak, as there is no proven relationship between a large government and a well-governed, prosperous society. In addition, there is no correlation or causation between the large retinue of political heads and political/socio-economic transformation. What is clear and certain is that, a smaller government is a cost saving measure that signals a high level of discipline and focus of a government that wants to protect the public purse.

Second, the appointments betray inadequate sensitivity to the weak fiscal condition of the country today, as it flies in the face of the President’s promise to protect the public purse. It is difficult to see how appointing such a large number of ministers, who will all be on ministerial salaries and benefits, can possibly amount to the promise of protecting the public purse. Indeed, a reduction in the cost of running government, including appointing the minimum number of ministers required by the Constitution, particularly those drawn from Parliament, was one of the list of 10 actions CDD-Ghana urged the Akufo-Addo-led NPP government to undertake in its first year.

Third, it further undermines Ghana’s already weak state bureaucracy. Placing a team of politician ministers on top of the existing hierarchy of the ministries will lead to unnecessary duplication of senior personnel and eventually undermine the authority of the professional senior civil and public servants (particularly, chief directors and directors) in the same ministries; it will also encourage the politicisation of the bureaucracy. In addition, the appointment of that many ministers does not in any way help to address the structural weakness of Parliament vis a vis the Executive, which the President alluded to in his State of the Nation Address.

By appointing so many of his ministers and deputy ministers from Parliament, currently standing at 64 MPs, the President is further weakening the legislative body and at the same time undercutting his own promise to strengthen the institution to enable it serve as an effective check on the Executive. Above all, CDD-Ghana is deeply concerned about the negative signals sent out by these appointments. We note with consternation that nearly the entire presidential and ruling party campaign team as well as a large number NPP MPs have been appointed to ministerial and other state bureaucratic positions.

This suggests a continuation of the anti-developmental practice of “party in government” system (conflation of the ruling party and the government), whereby political appointments are treated as ‘jobs-for-the boys’ or some form of material reward for individuals who played key roles in the election campaign of the president and his party, and an opportunity for them to rake in “rents.”

To be sure, the president’s appointment of as many as 50 ministers and 60 deputies may have been made in strict conformity with the provisions of the 1992 Constitution and long-standing practices in Ghana’s 4th Republic. However, in the exercise of his legitimate discretionary authority, President Akufo-Addo would have been better served by heeding to the admonition in 1st Corinthians, 10:23: “I have the right to do anything, but not everything is beneficial. I have the right to do anything, but not everything is constructive.” In this instance, the Center wishes President Nana Akufo Addo had taken a lesson from the examples of Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and John Magafuli of Tanzania who significantly downsized the size of their governments to signify “change” upon assumption of office – instead of lowering the bar of unwisely ministerial size and government in Ghana’s 4th Republic.

Accordingly, the Center implores the President to reduce the number of deputy ministerial nominees sent to Parliament for vetting and approval; and additionally calls on the President to publish the salaries and emoluments of all appointed public office holders so Ghanaians can begin to appreciate the true of cost of governing the country. Lastly, CDD-Ghana fervently prays that the NPP government does not attach an army of technical advisers to the already bloated personnel at the ministries, departments, and agencies of the state.

In the medium term, the Center would like to see a law passed that puts a ceiling on the maximum number of ministers and deputies the president can appoint at a time and or make it mandatory for the president to explicitly provide the rationale for appointing more than one deputy minister per ministry.

The Center urges the Akufo-Addo-NPP administration to be sensitive to the voice of the people and take steps to reduce the growing burden on the public purse.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor

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