The Honorary Vice President of IMANI Africa, Bright Simmons, has characterised President John Mahama's decision to reduce the number of ministries from 30 to 23 as more of a response to public sentiment than a genuine step toward government efficiency.
In an article titled The Stressful Difference between Cutting Ministries & Cutting Costs in Ghana, he delved into the deeper implications of such restructuring, cautioning that it may not translate to significant cost savings. "Cutting down the number of ministries and ministers is thus an exercise in 'reading the sentiments' of the public, and in being 'responsive,'" Bright Simmons wrote, "and not about lean and efficient government reforms per se." According to Bright Simmons, the public's disdain for a bloated government largely stems from optics. "The people just don't like seeing presidents appoint a large number of ministers because it 'feels' and 'looks' quite 'obscene,'" he explained.
The reduction, therefore, serves as a symbolic gesture aimed at portraying a listening and responsive government.
Clustering Ministries: A Subjective Endeavor Bright Simmons also shed light on the often arbitrary process of merging or separating government ministries.
