During a national address in Accra, New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia declared his commitment to preserving a lean government.
Speaking on the value of an effective system of governance, Bawumia promised to keep the total number of Ministers and Deputy Ministers under 50 throughout his presidency.
In addition to stressing the need for fewer ministers, Dr. Bawumia highlighted the advantages of a more efficient decision-making process. He made a strong statement, “I would have no more than 50 ministers and deputy ministers.”
The NPP flagbearer also emphasised the need of strengthening the private sector’s participation, decentralising the budget and administration, and promoting institutional performance and system functionality. He thinks these will guarantee value for money in government procurement procedures in addition to increasing efficiency.
“The transition to the private sector for the delivery of numerous public services would free up at least 3% of GDP in fiscal space.” This is a significant paradigm change. Furthermore, Bawumia clarified, “an effective system of governance will require even fewer ministers.”
Bawumia outlined his goals and vision for Ghana’s future during his speech. Creating an independent fiscal responsibility committee to lower interest rates and budget deficits during his presidency was one of the main recommendations. Bawumia said that this council would guarantee fiscal restraint by being codified in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2018 (Act 982).
“My government will strengthen fiscal discipline through an independent fiscal responsibility council established by the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2018 (Act 982) in order to sustainably reduce the budget deficit and interest rates. “Additionally, a fiscal regulation requiring projected expenditures in any given year to not exceed 105% of the tax receipts from the preceding year will be added to the Fiscal Responsibility Act. This will stop spending money from the budget on inflated revenue. This will stop spending from being allocated to the budget on the basis of overly optimistic revenue projections that eventually turn out to be unreal,” he said.
The Bawumia government also intends to increase its leverage in the private sector in order to lessen the fiscal load on the government. Building on popular programmes like Free TVET and Free SHS that were implemented by Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration, Bawumia seeks to encourage private sector involvement in service delivery and infrastructure construction in order to lower government spending and enhance upkeep.
The televised event gave Bawumia a forum to present his suggested policies and garner support from a variety of social groups. Attendees included members of the Diplomatic Corps, the Clergy, Civil Society Organisations, and NPP functionaries.
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s pledge to cap the number of cabinet appointments at fifty exemplifies his goal of responsible fiscal management and effective government. In the run-up to the country’s elections, Bawumia’s plans seek to solve Ghana’s economic problems and open the door to long-term, sustainable growth and development.
