Chairperson of the Constitution Review Consultative Committee (CRCC), Clara Beeri Kasser-Tee, has advocated for a limit to be placed on the number of individuals appointed as ministers in the country.

According to her, a maximum number should be imposed on appointment to manage and run various sectors of Ghana.

She explained that this would mean that the role of a deputy minister would be expunged from the constitution.

Mrs Kasser-Tee noted that constituencies too should be capped. This, she indicated, is because Ghana already has 275 with the possibility of 276, as such, the country doesn’t need more than 277 constituencies.

“Our recommendation is to cap minister at 25 not more than 25. Ghana does not need more than 25 Ministers to run.”
Clara Beeri Kasser-Tee

Commenting on her justification for revealing that there would be no reduction of the current 275 Members of Parliament, Mrs Kasser-Tee stated that it was easier to put a cap on the number rather than reduce it.

Moreover, the committee chairman recommended that the office of the Deputy Minister and Regional Ministers be expunged.

Reduction of ministers in government

Meanwhile, former President, John Dramani, has reiterated commitment to ensure a lean government under his administration as President.

To this end, he noted that he would merge ministries such as Transport, Aviation, Railways and merge them as well as that of the Sanitation and Local Government ministries.

Since he became flagbearer of the NDC for the 2024 general elections in May this year, John Mahama has pledged to implement various policies that would restore economic stability.

The former President highlighted that if elected as President again after the 2024 general elections, his government would reduce the number of ministers and appointees, merge ministerial portfolios to prune down the number of ministries drastically and review and eliminate ex-gratia in its current form.

Furthermore, he pledged to reduce waste, cost overruns, institutional borrowing, and breaches in public procurement rules; ensure compliance with internal and external financial control systems, recalibrate and amalgamate duplicated state agencies and discontinue the payment of utility bills, fuel, DSTV services among others as part of top government employees’ service conditions.

There have been several calls over the years on the need for government to reduce the number of ministerial appointments.

It will be recalled that the leader of the Movement for Change and former flagbearer for the NPP, Alan Kyerematen, indicated that he will run a lean government if elected President of Ghana.

In his address to the nation, the former Minister for Trade and Industry stated that the “architecture of government will be overhauled by consolidating some existing Ministries, Departments and Agencies”.

In light of this, he noted that this will mean “running a lean government structure” that will ensure operational efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of Government services.

President Akufo-Addo’s government has been touted as one with the largest number of ministers and appointees than any government in the history of the country.

As it stands, several calls from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), opposition political parties, religious bodies and a cross-section of the populace for the President to reduce the size of government have yielded no results..