Ghana’s John Mahama scraps seven ministries to cut cost
By Jeffrey Agbo
Ghana’s President John Mahama has slashed the number of ministries from 30 to 23 through an executive order aimed at reducing government expenditure.
The decision, announced in a gazette dated January 9, eliminates seven ministries, including Information, Sanitation and Water Resources, National Security, Railway Development, Parliamentary Affairs, Public Enterprises and Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs. These ministries were established under the previous administration of Nana Akufo-Addo.
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Under Mahama’s streamlined government, key ministries include Finance, Health, Education, Defence, Energy and Green Transition, Transport and Gender among others.
Mahama, who previously served as president from 2012 to 2017, secured a return to power by defeating former Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia in the recent elections. Mahama garnered 56.55% of the votes while Bawumia received 41.6% and conceded defeat prior to the official announcement.
This cost-cutting measure contrasts with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s expansion of ministries from 44 to 48 in 2023, a move that has drawn criticism amid Nigeria’s worsening cost-of-living crisis.
