According to sources at the seat of government, the President will have face-to-face conversations with each of his appointees.

[contextly_sidebar id=”HtY5smClIfKU4Sqfa3lkOIcvkvxC6lGx”]Also billed to be present, during the one-on-one evaluation exercises are the Vice President, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Opare, and Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei.

The appraisal comes on the back of a report presented to the  President by Dr. Akoto Osei on the performance of government appointees and programmes.

Monitoring and Evaluation Ministry role

The creation of the Monitoring and Evaluation portfolio by the President at the beginning  of his tenure was met with criticism by a section of the public who cited duplication of functions since most Ministries already have such units within their structure.

But the government rejected such claims indicating such a role is necessary for tracking the implementation of government policies and programs.

The President said the Ministry of Monitoring and Evaluation was set up to consolidate government’s activities by ensuring appointees live up to set targets.

President Akufo-Addo, in all, has 110 people serving as ministers, ministers of state and deputies in his administration, the highest in the country’s history.

Out of the total 110, 20 are Regional Ministers and their Deputies, 40 ministers for various ministries, with 50 deputies.

In Jul7 2017, Dr. Akoto Osei had said his outfit will by October 2017 give an account of the performances of the various ministries towards achieving set targets.

According to him, at the time, the ministries had already submitted reports detailing their key priority areas to be assessed.

He further intimated that, targets for the Finance and Energy ministries will be paramount in the assessment.

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By: Sammi Wiafe/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The group stands by its earlier position that such a move undermines the authority Parliament possesses.

The statement below contains details of Odekro’s concerns on President  Nana Addo’s appointment

Press Release: The fallout from Nana Addo’s appointment of 110 ministers continues to undermine Parliament

16 JULY 2017 on Ghana, Parliament, Politics

Accra | 17 July 2017

Odekro would like to commend the Selection Committee of Parliament for recommending to the House, the re-composition of leadership of parliamentary committees. We identify with the Selection Committee’s reasoning that “the re-composition became necessary due, among other considerations, to the fact that some chairmen and vice chairmen of committees have been appointed ministers and deputy ministers to various ministries and this will affect the oversight responsibilities of such members on the various committees that oversee the various ministries (emphasis ours).”

On March 20 2017, Odekro issued a statement to the effect that President Akufo-Addo’s appointment of 61% (67) Ministers and Deputy Ministers from Parliament would weaken parliament’s oversight responsibility, as MP-Ministers may be compromised by the Executive and national assignments that require Ministers and Deputy Ministers to work outside the confines of parliament. We also indicated that such action was at odds with the accolade the President enjoyed as a champion of democracy and his own assertion that parliament must not be the “junior partner” of the executive, but rather be allowed to grow as an “effective machinery for accountability and oversight of the executive”.

We further indicated that the President’s appointment of so many Ministers from Parliament drew away some of Ghana’s seasoned legislators from Parliament. Odekro is bewildered by the continued impact of the President’s action, even in the recommended re-composition. For instance, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong (MP, Assin Central) who ranked 258th out of 275 MPs, and was often absent as observed in Odekro’s assessment report of the Sixth Parliament, (also find evidence attached) has been retained as the chairperson of the Communications Committee. Though Mr Ohene Agyapong’s parliamentary seat is not in serious contention, his performance in the Sixth Parliament and public conduct, past and recent, somehow cast doubt on his ability to execute his duties competently, as a Committee Chair. We do not think this would have been the case had the President not appointed so many Ministers from Parliament.

We also find insufficient the reason adduced by the Selection Committee for the proposed re-composition. According to the Committee, “the situation where sector ministers superintend their oversight committees of the House is at Variance with best practice and indeed the conventions of the House.” Unfortunately, the Committee did not avert their minds to another problem at variance with best practice and the conventions of the house – chronic absenteeism. One third of MPs (92 of the 275) would have to be present for parliamentary business to commence. The lack of quorum suspends government business and affects the quality of representation and scrutinization of important bills. Our research based on the attendance records of parliament shows that MP-Ministers, irrespective of whether they chair committees or not, are twice as likely to be absent, often without permission, from Parliamentary meetings compared to MPs who are not ministers.

We reiterate, thus, our earlier recommendation for a strict separation of the Executive and Legislative arms of government in practice, including a reexamination of Article 78, the constitutional provision which compels the President to appoint the Majority of Ministers from Parliament.

Odekro will continue to monitor events in Parliament especially MPs’ attendance and activities. A report shall be made available to Ghanaians after analysis and assessment.

Signed:
Odekro | 17 July 2017

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to him, their deep involvement in the illegal activity has compromised the strict enforcement of the law to deal with the problem.

“In dealing with this problem decisively, I have been watching the government from behind past and present as to how they confront this problem using the military and I don’t think that is the best because even the Military and the Police are deeply involved,” he said.

He added that “when these Chinese mine this gold and other things in Amansie, in the Western Region and they are bringing it to Accra, who escorts them from the dangers of being attack? It is the Police and the Military. Sometimes with their own vehicles. They escort them. There are police officers who are deeply involved… Politicians are involved, you have Ministers, you have Members of Parliament involved and the Chiefs;, they are the worst. They have been collecting the monies [from the perpetrators].”

The former deputy Easter Regional Minister made the revelation on Eyewitness News on Tuesday, April 4, 2017.

There has been a long-held perception about the involvement of very influential people in the galamsey operation but the MP’s revelation confirms their existence in the scheme of operations.

Many communities in Ghana are currently suffering the negative effects of galamsey which has left most of Ghana’s fresh water poisonous.

Thousands of acres of fertile farmlands have also been destroyed as a result of galamsey.

Although Ghana’s laws are clear on illegal mining the activity, it has been allowed to continue for more than two decades.

Citi FM has been at the fore front of media advocacy for a decisive and firm action from the government in dealing with the menace with inside and out-of-studio events.

Meanwhile, president Akufo-Addo has said his government is working to develop a policy that will deal with galamsey in the country.

But according to Mr. Ofosu Asamoah, locals must be allowed to champion the campaign against galamsey to ensure that the practice is stopped.

According to him, the complex nature of the galamsey does not make it prudent to introduce military force.

He said the locals must be educated and conscientized on the various negative effects of illegal mining to enable them appreciate the development and the need to rise against it.

“To stop this galamsey, the first people to lead it is the people; The chiefs and then government supports. This battle should not be a government led approach. What we have to do now is to educate the people. [Lets tell them], now your rivers are dying, you can’t use your water either for cooking or bathing… When we get the people to appreciate the problem, then the people themselves are now going to stop the people from mining. Let the people rise to their civic responsibilities,” he said.

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Politicians, Police officers deeply involved in galamsey – Former MP appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Various organisations and groups have criticized the President for taking such a decision which they believe will among other things burden the public purse and also worsen corruption.

[contextly_sidebar id=”S2HpYGVqSsn3HU8wR7JHsiw2l4cUXFTZ”]Speaking on the Point Blank segment of Eyewitness News, Mr. Avedzi questioned the rationale behind some of the President Nana Addo’s appointments.

Citing examples to support his argument, he questioned why the President appointed four persons just for the Ministry of Information

“Do we need four Ministers at the Ministry of Information? What are they going to do?What are the job contents?What is the end result?How will the four Ministers at the Ministry of Information impart on the welfare of Ghanaians ….?”

Asked whether it was wrong for the President to appoint four persons for the Information Ministry since they will be performing specific roles, he said:  “ If that is the argument to go by, then he might need more Ministers for the Ministry of Information. It means he might need a Minister for Whatsapp who will be monitoring the Whatsapp page, he needs a Minister for Facebook, he needs a Minister Twitter. I don’t think he needs four Ministers at the Ministry of Information. There is going to be redundancy. They will not do anything. They will use our salaries to pay them and that is just too much.”

He wondered whether the President took into consideration the huge burden his decision will  have on the public purse before resorting to such a move.

“Let’s take the number of  Ministers and let’s analyse them one after the other. The Ministry of Information, which has a substantive Minister and three Deputy Ministers …These Ministers are going to rely on the scanty resources of this nation. These Ministers are going to be provided with accommodation, these Ministers are going to rely on state resources to perform their roles. These Ministers are going to be provided with office accommodation.”

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The pressure group in a statement indicated that, the President’s appointment of what critics have described as “elephant-sized”cabinet will only lead to corruption.

[contextly_sidebar id=”AOQxbDanKhlcr9r6ENCW8TBjiXEBTImX”]It argued that President Nana Addo’s promise to protect the public purse will not be possible with this huge number of ministers .

“The problems that beset this nation are known to all. Paramount among them is the issue of corruption. In creating such a huge bureaucracy, have we not increased the chances of corrupt officials plundering the little that we have left as a nation?In his inaugural address, the President promised to protect the national purse. The appointment of 110 ministers who, in comparison to the average Ghanaian, will be earning a considerable amount of money in salaries, allowances and benefits over the next 4 years (in addition to enjoying a range of ex-gratia benefits when they leave office) does not sound to us like a diligent attempt to protect a sorely-depleted purse.”

The group further intimated that, the appointment will hinder growth of the private business sector.

“The economy of this great nation can only grow if we let the private sector flourish. Large bureaucracies are not known to facilitate the growth of any private business sector. Do we not run the risk of crowding out and suffocating a struggling private sector with a gargantuan government bureaucracy?”

The group therefore called on the President to “reconsider” the appointment.

Below is the statement from the group

We therefore call on the President to reconsider the size of his ministerial appointments. Are there positions that may be consolidated? Do the ministers with several deputies really need that very many? Do we still need deputy regional ministers when there are district, municipal and metropolitan chief executives?
March 17, 2017

OCCUPYGHANA® PRESS STATEMENT

OCCUPYGHANA® QUESTIONS THE SIZE OF THE EXECUTIVE AND DEMANDS STRICT PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

Like a great number of Ghanaians, we at OCCUPYGHANA® look with great concern at the number of ministerial appointments that the President has made to date. As of 16 March 2017, there were 110 ministerial appointments.
We are aware of the plans of the new administration to enact significant changes to the way the business of government is done, in enacting its vision to help this nation develop. We are also aware that some of these changes require the requisite manpower to achieve success.

We are however concerned at the apparent overlap in the portfolios of a number of ministers, and at the number of deputies named for several ministries.

It is our firm view that a government bureaucracy must be big enough to achieve the aims of the governing administration, yet lean enough to not waste the resources of state. Both the President in his State of the Nation Address, and the Minister of Finance in his budget presentation, lamented the dire state of the nation’s economy. Can Ghana with its present economic situation afford 110 ministers? Can we not do more with less?

The problems that beset this nation are known to all. Paramount among them is the issue of corruption. In creating such a huge bureaucracy, have we not increased the chances of corrupt officials plundering the little that we have left as a nation?
In his inaugural address, the President promised to protect the national purse. The appointment of 110 ministers who, in comparison to the average Ghanaian, will be earning a considerable amount of money in salaries, allowances and benefits over the next 4 years (in addition to enjoying a range of ex-gratia benefits when they leave office) does not sound to us like a diligent attempt to protect a sorely-depleted purse.
The economy of this great nation can only grow if we let the private sector flourish. Large bureaucracies are not known to facilitate the growth of any private business sector. Do we not run the risk of crowding out and suffocating a struggling private sector with a gargantuan government bureaucracy?

We therefore call on the President to reconsider the size of his ministerial appointments. Are there positions that may be consolidated? Do the ministers with several deputies really need that very many? Do we still need deputy regional ministers when there are district, municipal and metropolitan chief executives?

Additionally, as part of the Minister for Monitoring and Evaluation’s duties, a set of key performance indicators (“KPIs”) should be urgently developed for each ministerial position, published on the ministerial website, and assessed by the President, Vice President and Minister for M&E on an annual or preferably biannual basis. Such KPIs must be designed to ensure there is no overlap of duties so as to duplicate responsibilities between ministers. The government should commit to dismissing any ministers who are found wanting under such an assessment scheme, and to a constant and robust evaluation of the effectiveness of ministers and ministries. The breadth of skills and experience from the private sector that have been introduced by this government should mean that many in the ministerial ranks adapt easily and perform well under such accountability.

It is going to take all citizens working together and harnessing our creativity and skills to move our dear nation forward. In doing so, in current financially constrained circumstances, we must find a way to do more with less. Bigger is not always better. In this case, bigger might in fact be wasteful and corruption-inducing.

As always, for God and Country.

OccupyGhana®

For further information, please contact Ing. Nana Sarpong Agyeman-Badu, OccupyGhana® Media Relations by replying to this email, or on +233-264771508 or Kweku Segbefia on +233-572260604 or [email protected].

–

By: Marian Ansah/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

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According to him, the president has appointed too many ministers to serve in government, arguing this will have negative implications on the public purse.

President Akufo-Addo on Wednesday made new ministerial appointments, bringing the number appointed so far to 110.

[contextly_sidebar id=”oCWAejAEkhKkKdQg5hrCIzBOly3y5LB6″]Reacting to the news, Franklin Cudjoe told Richard Sky on Eyewitness News that the size of the current government does not reflect the pledge by Nana Akufo-Addo to protect the public purse.

“You would have thought that the words used by the president himself in the run-up to the 2016 elections that he will protect the public purse will be minded at least so when I hear the minister for information saying the economy is a weak economy, and so you need a strong army of people, well then you may as well add militia people.”

Franklin Cudjoe said although the President had the constitutional right to appoint ministers of a number of his choice, it is not prudent to appoint too many of them.

He described the appointment as a “legal plunder” in the face of the country’s weak economy.

“The second justification for this which tells me that we’ve completely lost the plot, is this whole business that because the constitution allows it, there is an open-ended opportunity, in my description of prudence, that falls under legal plunder.  The fact that the law says that you can go and on does not mean that the very weak fundamentals of the economy that you said you met should be plundered in this manner” he said.

“An output based governance is based on some serious policy. You take education, for instance, the major deliverable is ‘Free SHS’, have you seen any major policy document guiding how this will be deployed?… Have you seen a policy called planting for food and jobs? To see that we have a minister of state for Agriculture at the presidency and at the same time we have two deputy ministers for Agriculture, what will they be doing?” he quizzed.

‘Ghana can do with 30 ministers’   

Meanwhile, Frankling Cudjoe has suggested that the country needs just bout 30 ministers to serve in the various ministries.

According to him, some countries with larger economies have fewer ministries or ministers than Ghana.

“This country can do with about 30 ministers and that is set. I’ve been to Australia and the UK, and their institutions and ministries that are being collapsed into desks for agency heads. That is a country that is vast like a continent in itself. I think 30 ministers can do for this country,” he said.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/GhanaFollow @jnyabor

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The President named 50 deputies and 4 others to serve as Ministers of State at the presidency/ministries on Wednesday, bringing his total number of ministers to 110, the highest since the 4th Republic.

Many have since criticized the President for the decision, arguing that this will only burden the public purse considering that, aside the salaries and benefits, all these officials will retire with huge amounts as ex-gratia.

But the Information Minister at a press conference held at the Information Ministry, defended the President’s decision, saying “in putting together this government, he [President] has been guided by the competences and experiences of the people and the legal requirements for making such appointments.”

He said the “Akufo Addo government has inherited a country whose economy is if you want at its weakest …requires a strong army that will resolve, confront these challenges and resolve them in the rapid manner that we[Ghanaians] require in order to put our country back on the path of progress and development”

“If we keep doing business as usual, we cannot transform the country in the manner that we envisage. This number of Ministers that the President has presented to Parliament brings his entire government to 110 Ministers of State and deputies who would assist him deliver on the ambitious programme of national transformation and development which the people of Ghana have charged him to implement,” he added.

He further clarified that, the President was guided by Article 78 (2) of the constitution in making his appointments.

“He was minded by this provision and the ambitious nature of his transformational agenda to put together a government that answers both to this constitutional provision and the need for the rapid transformation of our country,” he added.

Offering explanations for the President’s decision to appoint a Minister who will specifically be in charge of Public Procurement, Mustapha Hamid said the President resorted to such a move as a means of tackling wastage through public procurement.

“Part of the President’s determination to get a hold on national expenditure is the reason why he has appointed a Minister of State in his office responsible for procurement whose responsibility will be to ensure proper value for money procurement. It is generally agreed that the biggest source of wastage is through public procurement. An expert in procurement law has therefore been nominated to take care of the business of fleecing the state through public procurement.”

Adwoa Sarfo named minister of state in charge of public procurement 

Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya, and Deputy Majority Leader, Adwoa Sarfo, was today [Wednesday] appointed a Minister of State at the presidency in charge of Public Procurement.

Her name was among a list of four new ministers of state at the presidency/ministry that was presented to Parliament for vetting and approval. The other three ministers of state appointed include, Minister of State at the Office of the President, Brian Acheampong, Minister of State at the Ministry of Agriculture, Nurah Gyeile and Minister of State at the Ministry of Education in charge of Tertiary Education, Kwesi Yankah.

Akufo-Addo engaged in ‘chaskele’ appointments – Muntaka

Meanwhile the Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, has likened President Akufo-Addo’s ministerial nominations to the game of ‘chaskele’ saying it appears the portfolios were just being passed on to “everyone.” –

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Four of them will go through the process today, while the remaining six will take their turns on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.

The committee last Thursday completed vetting of all the 36 ministers named by the President, and subsequently submitted its report to Parliament for their approval.

All of them have since been sworn into office to start work.

Although the vetting of the regional minister nominees was originally scheduled to take place from Monday, 13th February 2017 to Wednesday 15th February, 2017, it was rescheduled to start today [Tuesday], and end on Thursday.

Check below for schedules for the Regional Ministers vetting:

Tuesday, 14th February, 2017

Dr. Kwaku Afriyie (Western Regional minister-designate)

Mr. Simon Osei Mensah (Ashanti Regional minister-designate)

Mr. Eric Kwakye Darfour (Eastern Regional minister-designate)

Mr. Ishmael Ashitey (Greater Accra Regional minister-designate)

Wednesday, 15th February, 2017

Dr. Archibald Letsa (Volta Regional minister-designate)

Mr. Alhassan Suleiman (Upper West Regional minister-designate)

Mr. Rockson Bukari (Upper East Regional minister-designate)

Thursday, 16 February, 2017

Mr. Kwaku Asoma Cheremeh (Brong Ahafo Regional minister designate)

Mr. Kwamena Duncan (Central Regional minister-designate)

Mr. Salifu Sa-eed (Northern Regional minister designate)

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By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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He made the comment on behalf of his colleagues at their swearing in ceremony  at the Flagstaff House on Friday, January 27, 2017.

“On behalf of the freshest Ministers, I want to say a very big thank you to his excellency for giving us an opportunity to serve. We know his vision, we know his excellency wants to make a difference and on behalf of my colleagues I want to assure him that we will give him the support to make him excellent.We shall support you and make sure Akufo-Addo’s government succeeds and succeeds very well,” Osafo Maafo said.

President Nana Addo swore in 12 of the 13 nominees who have been vetted and approved by Parliament. The only nominee who could not be sworn-in, is the Minister-designate for Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, who is currently in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and will be sworn it at the Ghanaian Embassy in the Ethiopian capital on Saturday, according to President Akufo-Addo, as he visits that country.

The 13 approved nominees, are part of the first batch of 36 nominees tot be approved, alongside ten other regional minister-nominees also expected to be vetted.

The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Presidency on Friday evening, where President Akufo-Addo charged the new ministers to deliver on the commitments the New Patriotic Party made on the campaign trail. He impressed on the new ministers not to fail Ghanaians who he said expects the government to protect the public purse and ensure value for money.

The full list of sworn-in Ministers is below

Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori Atta

Minister for Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen

Minister for Justice, Gloria Akuffo

Minister for National, Security, Albert Kan Dapaah

Minister for Defence, Dominic Nitiwul

Minister for Local Government Ministry, Hajia Alima Mahama

Minister for Interior, Ambrose Dery

Minister for Education, Matthew Opoku Prempeh

Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu

Minister for Agriculture, Owusu Afriyie Akoto

Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo-Maafo

Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko

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