I will reduce number of ministers from 120 to 85 in my second term, says Ghanaian president

President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana has said the number of ministers he will appoint to serve in his second government will not exceed 85, Ghanaweb, an online news agency in Ghana, said.

This is down from the 120 ministers who served in his first term, according to a statement signed on his behalf by the acting Director of Communications at the Presidency, Mr Eugene Arhin.

The statement released on Thursday, January 21 said seven ministries, namely Aviation, Business Development, Inner City and Zongo Development, Monitoring and Evaluation, Planning, Regional Re-organisation and Development, and Special Development Initiatives, have been realigned.

The president, according to the statement, has effected this realignment because virtually all these special-purpose ministries have achieved the purposes for which they were established. The Office of the Senior Minister has also been abolished. This will result in a total of 28 ministries, down from the 36 of his first term.

Furthermore, it said the President intends to appoint a Minister for Public Enterprises, who will be operating directly under the ambit of the Presidency, and not from a ministry. The minister will oversee a major restructuring of the entire state-owned enterprise’s sector to improve the productivity and profitability of the sector.

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“The President has decided that there will be no Deputy Regional Ministers. At an appropriate date, the President, in accordance with the Constitution, will submit to Parliament the list of all Deputy Ministers of State for its approval.

“On Wednesday, 20th January, and Thursday, 21st January, President Akufo-Addo held one-on-one meetings with the new ministers-designate, as well as with his first-term ministers who will not transition into the new government, to break the news to them.

“To the Ministers-designate, President Akufo-Addo congratulated them on their nominations and expressed his expectation that they will be promptly approved by Parliament, to allow them to start work forthwith. To the former Ministers, the President assured them of possible roles to be played in the larger governmental structure, and wished them the best of luck in their future endeavours,” the statement said.

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I will reduce number of ministers from 120 to 85 in my second term, says Ghanaian president

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I will reduce number of ministers from 120 to 85 in my second term, says Ghanaian president