IMANI boss questions efficacy of newly appointed Ministers in driving economic impact
IMANI Africa President, Franklin Cudjoe, has cast doubt on the potential impact of Ghana’s newly appointed ministers, suggesting that their effectiveness may be hindered by looming re-election campaigns.
In an interview on the AM Show on Tuesday, Mr Cudjoe voiced concerns over the truncated tenure of ministers, positing that their ability to enact substantive change within the economy may be curtailed by time constraints.
While acknowledging the commendable track records of certain appointees, such as Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye in the health sector, Mr Cudjoe remained skeptical of their capacity to effect meaningful reform given the abbreviated timeline.
He underscored the necessity for a comprehensive overhaul of ministries, advocating for streamlined structures to forestall the proliferation of political promises.
“What exactly can he do? Except of course, he can do something he himself talks about when it comes to exporting doctors and nurses abroad which he thinks will be a significant value for foreign exchange in the country. And even that has to be within the broader policy of the government,” he remarked.
Drawing attention to the ambitions of key figures like Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and former Minister Alan Kyerematen, Mr Cudjoe touched on the political maneuvering underlying ministerial appointments.
He underscored the imperative of transparency in personnel selection, emphasizing the electorate’s right to scrutinize prospective leaders ahead of forthcoming elections.
“It makes me think that Bawumia will have to tell us exactly how his 50 member ministerial portfolio would look like because that is useful, including John Mahama who says 60.
“I like to see it. But it tells me that he is probably serious. I like to know the personnel because one of the things we should never lose sight of is the fact that the caliber of persons, maybe they will not come from Mars but we need to know who they are right now before we even begin the elections because if we don’t know that, we don’t want surprises.”
We don’t want a president who will say for me I don’t want to be disturbed and so I am going to appoint millions and all of that. For me, I want to see action. I want to see real persons whom we can start asking questions as to what they are adding to the economy not just because there is a euphoria that, somebody will be kicked out and someone else will come. Otherwise, we will come back to the same position we are currently in and it will not help us,” stated.
