President Mahama Trims Down Ministries as Part of Bid to “Reset Ghana”
Keeping to his campaign promise, the new president is attempting to put together an efficient government to tackle Ghana’s economic crisis and restore public trust in the next four years.
Ghana's new President John Mahama (C) holds a Bible as he takes the oath of office at his inauguration at the Independence Square in Accra on Jan. 7, 2025.
Update: This page has been updated with the most recent information as of 7 p.m. GMT Jan. 13, 2025.
Ghanaian President John Mahama has reduced the number of ministries, from 30 to 23, in a bid to cut the cost of governance. The move will help fulfill his campaign promise of setting up the leanest government in decades. It is also tied to the austerity policies of the $3 billion loan Ghana secured from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) back in 2023.
Several ministries have been scrapped, including sanitation, information, railway and national security ministries. A handful of the pre-existing ministries have been consolidated and restructured, including the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources, Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, and several others.
Mahama has hit the ground running to fulfill his promises to turn Ghana’s economy around and has submitted his first set of ministerial nominees to parliament.
Cassiel Ato Forson, former parliament minority leader and deputy finance minister during Mahama’s first term between 2013 and 2017, has been nominated as Minister of Finance. Forson, a chartered accountant and tax practitioner, will be charged with efforts to grow Ghana’s economy.
Shortly after his nomination, Forson met with a delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as the country is looking to secure financing despite Ghana’scomplex history with financial institutions. “We are committed to work with the IMF, but we also want to ensure that we can raise financing; additional finance, working with IMF and other domestic, international partners,” Forson told reporters before the meeting.
Completing the list of nominees are John Abdulai Jinapor as the Minister of Energy and Dominic Akuritinga Ayine as the Attorney General and Minister of Justice. Like Forson, Jinapor was also the former energy deputy minister under Mahama; however, his appointment might not inspire much confidence, considering thatpersistent power cuts started becoming prominent during his previous time in office.
Meanwhile, Ayine is a senior lawyer with three decades of experience and holds a PhD in law from Stanford University. Ayine has also previously served as deputy attorney general and justice minister.A month afterwinning the presidential election by the widest margin in almost two decades, John Mahama has resumed office for the start of his second and final term. Mahama, who was ousted byoutgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo in 2017 after his first four years in office, faces the difficult task of restoring public confidence in governance.
"While Ghanaians take great pride in our thriving democracy, they are deeply dissatisfied with the quality of governance over the years," Mahama said during his inauguration speech yesterday. "They have openly voiced their dissatisfaction through the decisive action they undertook at the recent polls."
Seemingly with an understanding of the heft of the task before him, the reemergent president's speech touched on a broad number of issues his administration will focus on, including strengthening diplomatic ties at home and abroad, pursuing technological advancements and improving public health infrastructure.
The main focus, however, will be on four critical areas: economic restoration and stabilization of the macroeconomic environment; improvement of the business/investment environment to ensure Ghana's reopening for business; governance and constitutional reforms; and accountability and the fight against corruption.
During the campaign trail, Mahama promised to turn Ghana into a “24-hour economy” to combat the country's ongoing cost of living crisis. He reiterated that same ideal, stating that this economic system will "bolster job creation for the youth, stimulate local industries, attract foreign investments, and allow us to build resilient communities and a sustainable future."
In his speech, he referenced "the economic hardship," now an everyday term, stating that Ghana has "lurched from crisis to crisis" in recent years. "Today marks the beginning of a new opportunity," he said. "An opportunity to make a difference in our governance and economic management. We shall reset Ghana!"
Days before the December polls, Mahama unveiled 26 policies he hoped to effect in his first 120 days in office. They include forming the leanest and most efficient government in Ghana's fourth republic, implementing a “No-Academic-Fee” policy for all first-year students in public tertiary institutions, establishing the Women's Development Bank, and many more. Per his inauguration speech, achieving these policies in the stated timeframe will prove his readiness to be a worthy leader.- The Ballot Didn't Tell the Whole Story in Africa's Year of Elections ›
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