The Founding President of the IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Franklin Cudjoe has expressed his support for the recent pledges by the two major political parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), to downsize the government.
Mr Cudjoe’s endorsement comes as both parties gear up for the December 2024 general elections, with promises to streamline government operations and reduce what he describes as a “large, uncontrollable, and wasteful” administration.
He commended the NPP, represented by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, and the NDC, led by its presidential candidate, former President John Dramani Mahama for recognizing the urgent need to realign and potentially merge ministries to curb excessive spending.
“It is great news once again to hear the two major contenders in this election, NDC and Bawumia, promising to downsize the obviously large, uncontrollable, and wasteful government ever in the history of Ghana”.
Franklin Cudjoe, Founding President of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education
The Chief Executive Officer of the renowned policy think-tank, further emphasized the importance of strategic realignment, suggesting that merging or eliminating redundant ministries could lead to more efficient government operations.
Drawing from his experiences and observations in countries like Australia and the United Kingdom, Mr Cudjoe highlighted how these nations have successfully streamlined their government departments to enhance productivity and reduce costs.
“In Australia, a far more prosperous country, cost-cutting was achieved by merging the Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries ministries under one department. They have also combined their departments of Foreign Affairs and Trade into what is now known as DFAT.
“In the UK, I visited the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Department for Energy and Climate Change, where similar consolidations have resulted in more efficient operations. The workers in these merged units were more productive and saved the taxpayer loads of passive-aggressive bureaucrats.”
Franklin Cudjoe, Founding President of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education
Franklin Cudjoe criticized the current Ghanaian practice of proliferating ministries and agencies that often result in inefficiencies and waste.
He argued that this approach only serves to drain public funds while delivering little to no value to the citizenry.
“We need to stop this habit of dicing up ministries into funny agencies drawing needless public funds and returning ZERO value,” he remarked.
NDC’s Policy Proposals Lauded
Beyond the structural changes, Mr Cudjoe also lauded the National Democratic Congress for its policy proposals during its recent manifesto launch.
He commended the party’s commitment to appointing 30% of all public office positions to capable women as a progressive step towards gender inclusivity.
He also commended their pledge to address period poverty among young girls, a move he believes will significantly improve educational outcomes for young women in Ghana.
Mr Cudjoe was particularly impressed by the NDC’s promise to initiate a fiscal consolidation plan and organize an economic summit in the early days of a potential government.
“The promise of a fiscal consolidation plan and an economic summit in the early days of a potential NDC government is very sensible. I now have a fuller understanding of the 24-hour economy but my team will be doing the deeper analysis to quantify its true value to the economy”.
Franklin Cudjoe, Founding President of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education
Reflecting on the broader theme of good governance, Mr Cudjoe called for a shift from the current political culture that prioritizes personal comfort and resource appropriation by those in power.
Instead, he advocated for a political re-orientation that focuses on the realities of the many whom political leaders are elected to serve.
“We must rapidly embark on a heavy downsizing of the office of government machinery, run an efficient service-oriented civil and public service, fast-track true fiscal decentralization in local government, and finally pay homage to the principles of meritocracy, pragmatism, and honesty in government”.
Franklin Cudjoe, Founding President of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education
As Ghana approaches the 2024 elections, Cudjoe’s remarks underscore a growing consensus among stakeholders about the need for a leaner, more efficient government.
The commitments by both the NPP and NDC to address these concerns will likely be a key factor for voters as they decide the country’s future leadership.
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