8 hours Ago By Ghana News
President John Dramani Mahama President John Dramani Mahama Swears in First Batch of 13 Deputy Ministers and Minister of State President John Dramani Mahama has sworn in his first batch of 13 Deputy Ministers and Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba, Minister of State in charge of Public Sector Reform. After administering the Oaths of Allegiance, Office, and Secrecy to the inductees at the Presidency in Accra, the President charged them to make sacrifices to secure a prosperous future for posterity, declaring, “You must never sacrifice a secure future for the pleasures of this fleeting moment.” “The task of resetting and building the Ghana we want is enormous.
However, experience has shown that the enormity of the challenge of governance does not demand an elephant-sized government but rather demands effective leadership. “I count on you to work together with us to provide that effective leadership for the people of Ghana. “As long as I am President, my policy will remain clear—a lean, efficient, and results-driven government, of which you have just become a part.
” The Deputy Ministers sworn in include: Thomas Ampem Nyarko – Deputy Finance Minister John Dumelo – Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture Dr. Clement Apaak – Deputy Minister for Education Samson Ahi – Deputy Minister for Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry Dr. Justice Srem-Sai – Deputy Minister for Justice and Deputy Attorney-General Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi – Deputy Minister for the Interior Richard Gyan-Mensah – Deputy Minister for Energy and Green Transition Alhassan Suhuyini – Deputy Minister for Roads and Highways Yusif Sulemana – Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Yusif Isaka Jajah – Deputy Minister for Tourism, Culture, and Creative Arts Madam Rita Naa Odorley Sowah – Deputy Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs Gizella Akushika Tetteh-Agbotui – Deputy Minister for Works, Housing, and Water Resources Ernest Brogya Genfi – Deputy Minister for Defence President Mahama reiterated his commitment to fulfilling his promise of creating a lean, efficient, cost-effective, and performance-driven government.
He emphasized that he had reduced the size of government from the largest in the country’s history to the smallest while ensuring that critical ministries and agencies received the necessary support to achieve their objectives. With this goal in mind, he exercised discretion in appointing Deputy Ministers only for ministries with heavier workloads. The nominations to these 13 ministries were based on their critical roles in economic growth, infrastructure development, and job creation.
He affirmed that ministries capable of functioning effectively without Deputy Ministers had not been assigned any, reinforcing the government’s commitment to efficiency. President Mahama stated that the swearing-in of this batch brings them closer to achieving the full complement of ministers, with a final list of four Deputy Ministers to be submitted, fulfilling their promise of a total of 60 ministers. He acknowledged Parliament’s early approval of ministers, which had enabled the administration to begin implementing its commitments to the Ghanaian people.
“For this, I wish to thank the Speaker and the Honourable Members of Parliament,” he said. He further noted that his commitment to a lean government extended to appointments at the Presidency. “So far, I have appointed 27 Presidential Staffers to various roles and three persons as Directors of important governmental initiatives, bringing the total number of political appointees to 30,” President Mahama said.
He reiterated that the list of 30 Presidential Staffers was pending approval from the Council of State. “While we are in the process of recruiting supporting staff to enable the full functioning of our Presidency, the numbers will come nowhere near the army of people hired under the previous government. “Our commitment to a lean government is not merely about reducing the number of ministerial appointees or cutting down the numbers at the Presidency.
” He emphasized that this commitment was grounded in the belief that government must exercise fiscal discipline by ensuring that public resources are used efficiently and responsibly. He highlighted the importance of balancing government expenditure with the responsibility of citizens to fund national development through taxation. “The public funds must primarily go into investments that benefit the Ghanaian people directly, and those who administer these funds must not be the largest beneficiaries,” he added.
He reaffirmed that the government’s commitment to efficiency and responsible governance was not only reflected in its streamlined leadership but also in the policies it was pursuing. Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba, Minister of State in charge of Public Sector Reform, speaking on behalf of her colleagues, expressed gratitude to President Mahama for the honor bestowed upon them. She assured the President that they would work hard to help achieve his vision of resetting the nation.
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