Director of Policy Engagement and Advocacy at the Centre for Democratic Development, Ghana (CDD Ghana), Dr. Emmanuel Kojo Asante, has reiterated calls for government to reduce its size.

According to him, it is not enough that the President only decided to retain the 30% cut on Ministerial salaries when more could have been done to reflect the season of austerity the government is ushering Ghanaians into.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, Dr. Kojo Asante said, “Now the cuts to basic salary as we even showed in our press conference what comes with being a Minister is even more, just the fuel for fuelling V8s… if we begin to put a cost on that.

“They might be symbolic, they might not be the ones that will reduce your external debt or whatever, but it’s symbolic. Let not people see the profligacy and all of those things people have to live within their means.”

He added that it would have served the government well had he heeded the advice of civil society organisations to reduce the size of his government by doing away with some Ministers and Deputy Ministers.

According to him, with the President’s trust rate currently being ranked as the lowest since the Afrobarometer report was launched in 1999, it would have served him well to take these drastic actions to boost morale and support.

“We can reduce ministers. I do not understand why we need three deputy ministers in some places, two deputy ministers in others. We can reduce that. These are very important morale boosting actions. I don’t understand why government is resisting on addressing it because when you don’t do that then you’re going to get stuck in this credibility hole.

“After the President’s speech, anybody who’s followed [interactions on social media] there’s all kinds of mime… so if government does not appreciate and understand that there is this gap, and this gap has to be closed. If the people are going to come with you, then I don’t understand what they’re looking at,” he said.

Dr. Kojo Asante was reacting to President Akufo-Addo’s address on the current economic challenges facing the country.