The government has refuted claims made by Samuel Abu Jinapor, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Damongo, that President John Dramani Mahama has appointed 100 ministers.
The MP made these assertions on the floor of Parliament while contributing to the debate on the President’s State of the Nation Address.
However, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the Presidential Spokesman and Minister of State in Charge of Government Communications, speaking to the press at the Seat of Government in Accra, reiterated that the President had adhered to his campaign promise of appointing only 60 ministers. He clarified that, so far, President Mahama had appointed 56 Ministers and Deputy Ministers, with four more Deputy Ministerial nominations yet to be made.
Addressing concerns regarding the appointment of Presidential Staffers, Mr. Ofosu stated that President Mahama had appointed 27 Staffers and three Directors at the Presidency, making a total of 30.
He emphasized that the President had made a firm commitment to reducing the size of government and had set a specific limit on the number of ministers he would appoint.
“Everyone heard him say he would appoint 60 ministers, including deputy ministers. He also made it clear that he would cut down on the number of political appointees at the Office of the President,” Mr. Ofosu explained.
“As it stands, he has made 56 nominations for ministerial positions. All ministers of state have been approved by Parliament, sworn into office, and are currently working, including myself,” he added.
He further noted that some deputy ministerial nominations were before Parliament, having already gone through vetting at the Appointments Committee. He expressed optimism that they would be approved in the coming days, after which they would be sworn into office.
Mr. Ofosu reiterated that the President had four outstanding deputy ministerial nominations to make, and once those were completed, the government would inform the people of Ghana.
“Now, regarding Presidential Staffers, the Damongo MP claims that the President is making up for the shortfall in ministerial appointments by increasing appointments at the Presidency,” Mr. Ofosu remarked.
“It is disappointing because he once worked here as a Deputy Chief of Staff, so one would expect him to be familiar with these matters and the various positions.”
He clarified that all appointed Presidential Staffers had been named in an official statement issued by his office.
“There are currently 27 Presidential Staffers, and all of them have been publicly announced. This is unlike the previous NPP administration, where Ghanaians only learned about them when the President submitted a list of Presidential Staff to Parliament,” he pointed out.
Mr. Ofosu explained that, in addition to the 27 Presidential Staffers, three individuals had been appointed to assist with specific interventions the President wished to undertake. These individuals, referred to as Directors, did not hold the rank of Presidential Staffers but were best described as Presidential Aides.
“If you add these three to the list of Staffers, that makes a total of 30. Beyond that, no other staffers or presidential aides have been appointed,” he affirmed.
Comparing the number of Presidential Staffers under the Akufo-Addo administration and the current Mahama administration, Mr. Ofosu highlighted that in 2017, when the NPP first took office, there were 27 staffers and 256 political appointees, in addition to nine Ministers of State working at the Presidency.
He stated that by 2020, the NPP government had increased the number of Presidential Staffers to 36 and the number of political appointees at the Presidency to 270, excluding civil servants.
According to him, over 700 civil servants worked at the Office of the President under the NPP government, a number that had remained unchanged except for minor adjustments. He clarified that these civil servants were seconded from various government departments and agencies and were often not factored into discussions about the size of government.
“In 2022, under the NPP administration, there were 306 political appointees at the Office of the President. This data was contained in reports presented to Parliament, making it a matter of public record,” Mr. Ofosu stated.
He further explained that by 2022, the number of Presidential Staffers had increased to 44, with 292 political appointees, bringing the total number of political appointees at the Presidency to 336. These numbers remained unchanged for 2023 and 2024.
Mr. Ofosu assured that President Mahama’s administration would not come anywhere close to these figures.
“When it comes to staff at the Office of the President, President Mahama has committed to significantly reducing the numbers. By all accounts, this will be the smallest government in Ghana’s history,” he asserted.
He emphasized that the reduction in staff numbers was crucial in ensuring cost savings for the government.
“I want to set the record straight and debunk any notion that this government comes anywhere near the numbers recorded under the NPP,” Mr. Ofosu concluded.
Source: GNA
