Ghanaian activist and lawyer Oliver Barker-Vormawor has sparked a thought-provoking debate with his critique of the President-elect’s plans to appoint 60 ministers in the incoming administration.
In a Facebook post sighted by MyNewsGH, Barker-Vormawor analyzed the numbers, pointing out that achieving a lean government—one of the central promises of the President-elect’s campaign—would be unattainable unless drastic measures, such as eliminating the role of Regional Ministers, were considered.
He explained that appointing 19 Cabinet Ministers along with their deputies would already account for 38 positions. Adding 16 Regional Ministers to the count would bring the total to 54, leaving only six positions to fulfil the proposed ministerial limit.
“My bold idea is that the President-elect must eliminate Regional Ministers entirely. We can do without them. That is the only way his idea for a lean government will work,” Barker-Vormawor declared, his words sparking widespread discussion.
This suggestion highlights the ongoing struggle in Ghana to balance governance efficiency with political obligations.
The debate over the size of government has long been contentious. Previous administrations faced criticism for excessively large cabinets, with the 2017 government notably appointing 110 ministers, a decision that ignited public outrage and was widely seen as a drain on national resources.
Despite justifications that such appointments were necessary to deliver on campaign promises, the perception of political patronage overshadowed their utility.
Barker-Vormawor’s proposal to eliminate Regional Ministers challenges the traditional governance framework.
