The founder and flagbearer of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Dr. Papa Kwesi Ndoum, intends to reduce the number of Ministers in public office to 40 if voted into power.
“We will reduce the number of Minsters of State to 40 and when I say 40, counting all of them, whether they are in the region, there they are a deputy or whether they are the Minister of State,” Dr. Nduom said.
“That will be made possible because we will rely on the professional civil service,” the PPP flagbearer added as the party launched its Presidential policy team in Accra on Monday.
There are currently 72 Ministers of State including Deputy and Regional ministers who head the various ministries and regions in the country.
There is no constitutional floor or cap on the number of Ministers a government can have and Dr. Nduom explained that his administration would downsize as a means of reducing the cost of governance and set the tone for the effective restructuring of the civil service.
The PPP also believes Ghana will be able to attain first world status within a generation under its governance.
“We want through our leadership of this country move to move from a third world nation to a first world one by working with a great sense of duty and urgency within one generation,” Dr. Nduom said.
PPP’s promise of a more inclusive government
The PPP’s proposed reforms are all geared towards creating a more inclusive government, something the party has trumpeted on the campaign trail ahead of the polls in December.
The party has vowed to eradicate the politics of ‘winner takes all’ from the governance system as its flagbearer has assured that a PPP government would be one that placed a premium on competence and would be blind to party affiliations.
“We are committed to running an inclusive government using the best men and women no matter where they come from, no matter what their religion is, no matter their party affiliation. We want the best for Ghana and only the best and selfless will serve in our administration,” Dr. Nduom said when he was affirmed as the PPP presidential candidate in July.
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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana