You have to apologize to Ghanaians and appoint more than 60 ministers – Afenyo-Markin to Mahama

Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Minority Leader in Parliament, has urged President John Mahama to reconsider his commitment to appointing not more than 60 ministers, urging him to apologize to Ghanaians and increase the number of appointees to ensure effective governance.

President Mahama, during his campaign, pledged to limit his ministerial appointments to 60 as part of a promise to promote efficiency and reduce government expenditure.

However, Mr Afenyo-Markin argues that such a restriction may hamper the government’s ability to manage the complexities of governance.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament during the debate on the approval of ministerial nominees on Thursday, January 23, the Minority Leader said 60 ministers would not help his political cause.

“When we make mistakes, let’s admit them and apologize. 60 ministers will not help your political cause.

“…I am not the president, but if I were to advise Mr President, I would say, Mr President, you can apologise to Ghanaians and say, look, you underestimated the thing. I think I need to engage more ministers,” he added.

He pointed out the challenges of combining ministries, such as the Local Government and Chieftaincy Ministry, which he described as requiring intensive oversight and conflict resolution.

Mr Afenyo-Markin expressed concern that limiting ministerial appointments could overburden the few appointees, leading to inefficiencies and possible allegations of corruption.

He further argued that maintaining the same number of civil servants while reducing the number of ministers would not necessarily translate to cost savings. Instead, it might result in inadequate supervision and monitoring, potentially causing governance lapses.

“People forget that when you merge two ministries, the staffers remain the same. All the civil servants who are there stay. One minister supervising everything will soon lead to things getting out of hand, and then corruption accusations will follow,” he noted.

The Minority Leader urged the President to make a pragmatic decision, acknowledging that the realities of governance may require a departure from campaign promises.

“Let’s boldly explain the intricacies of politics to the public instead of falling into the trap of unrealistic political commitments,” Afenyo-Markin added.