RECENT CALLS by some New Patriotic Party (NPP) Members of Parliament (MPs) for the removal of Ken Ofori-Atta, Finance Minister, has triggered fresh pressure on President Akufo-Addo to also reduce the size of government.
According to analysts, merely replacing Messrs Ofori-Atta and Charles Adu Boahen would not solve the country’s economic problem because the crisis was being caused by exogenous factors.
It appears the request by the 80 MPs recently has opened the floodgates for some NPP members to add their voice to the call for a downsizing of the government.
Indicating it could tame the rising anger among the public over the rising cost of living, the party members expressed the belief that President Akufo-Addo would heed the calls for the common good of Ghanaians.
It would be recalled that in the first term of President Akufo-Addo, there were persistent complaints about the big size of government. This led to the scrapping of seven ministries in the second term of the President, which reduced the number of ministers from 126 to 80.
These scrapped ministries included Aviation, Business Development, Inner City and Zongo Development, Monitoring and Evaluation, Planning, Regional Re-organisation and Development, and Special Development Initiatives.
Prof Quartey
Prof Peter Quartey, Director of Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana, who shares a similar view, said the reduction in the size of the government would send signals to the market and help the country’s partners to appreciate the government’s commitment to cutting down expenditure.
He made the suggestion during the launch of the State of Ghana Economy Report (SGER) recently in Accra.
The SGER, the 31st edition, highlighted on the state of the economy for 2021 and third quarter of this year.
Prof Quartey, who highlighted some of the recommendations in the SGER to help support the economy, said though the government argued that some of the ministers were not paid, those ministers had offices and secretaries who were paid by the state. He further said there was the need for a reshuffle to bring fresh ideas and vibrancy in the government.
“Desperate situations, need desperate solutions and business cannot be as usual if the government wants to quickly come out with measures to resuscitate the country from its current economic difficulties,” he said.
According to him, the reduction in government appointees in these challenging times, coupled with innovative revenue measures, would help to stabilise the economy.
Also, speaking as part of a panel on Joy Business’ Pre-Budget Forum Monday in Accra, Prof Quartey said the measures, he believed, if included in the 2023 Budget, would shore up revenue for the government especially, by reducing the number of appointees and use the savings to fund the 2023 Budget.
He said, “Government said it is going to pursue an austere budget…I expect a step further. I think there should be a reduction in the number of government appointees and how much is spent on them and many other areas, it would go a long way to help streamline our fiscal position.”
CDD
Director of Policy Engagement and Advocacy at the Centre for Democratic Development, Ghana (CDD), Dr. Emmanuel Kojo Asante, also in a recent interview on the current economic challenges facing the country, advocated a cut in government appointees.
According to him, the 30 per cent cut in ministers’ salaries was not enough considering the measures put in place by government to reduce public expenditure.
“They might be symbolic, they might not be the ones that will reduce your external debt or whatever, but it’s symbolic. Let not people see the profligacy and all of those things people have to live within their means,” he stated.
He further indicated that it would have been in the interest of the country if government heeded to the advice of civil society organisations to reduce the number of ministers and deputy ministers.
“We can reduce ministers. I do not understand why we need three deputy ministers in some places, two deputy ministers in others. We can reduce that. These are very important morale boosting actions. I don’t understand why government is resisting on addressing it because when you don’t do that then you’re going to get stuck in this credibility hole,” he added.
BY Ebenezer Amponsah