A former United Nations Senior Governance Advisor, Professor Baffour Agyeman-Duah, has argued that conversations surrounding the new ministerial reshuffle should be on the type of governance practised in the country, rather than concerns on whether they have enough time to execute projects.

According to him, governance is about the people and for the people; hence, views about whether the incoming ministers had enough time to execute projects and policies were a distraction from the main issue. 

Speaking on JoyNews' PM Express on February 14, he said elsewhere in the world there were agencies which carry out surveys on the views of the people, but in Ghana, the media was the only way to keep authorities aware of public opinion. Therefore, when some 80 legislators of the ruling party called for the removal of the Finance Minister, that was the most appropriate for President Akufo-Addo to act.

“You don’t become a president for yourself. You become a president for the people so public sentiments are critical in the decision-making of governments. In the US you can recall that regularly there are polls by different organisations testing the public [views] on different matters that the president ought to know.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have that kind of system here but at least through the media, social media, and other kinds of means and the multiplicity of radio stations, we turn to get public sentiments on issues. 

He continued “Whereas I respect the point that the President has prerogative, when to do this, when not to do that, I am also bringing in the important fact of the president being responsive to public sentiments. Otherwise, governance gets slackened to public sentiment.”

In light of this, Professor Agyeman-Duah opined that it was too late for new appointments.

“It could be late in the context of what has happened previously. In fact when public sentiment where high including a faction of the party in Parliament having that press conference something unprecedented in our political processes.

“I think that was the time perhaps if the President had taken the decision he would have gotten applause from all sides but this announcement’s today from what I gather, there is no applause for that. 

“A lot of people are dismissing it only because we are saying the timing. Not that eight months is not enough for the newly appointed to do their work but the time that public sentiment was high the public was disappointed by the President. For me that is the crucial point to stress,” he told host, Evans Mensah.

• Read also: Sack Ken Ofori-Atta – Majority MPs tell Akufo-Addo

In October 2020, Some New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentarians demanded the sacking of Ken Ofori-Atta as Finance Minister.

The MPs, numbering about 80, held a press conference to impress on the President to relieve his cousin of the responsibility of managing the national purse or risk losing their support for government business going forward.

• Read also: Akufo-Addo reshuffles finally: See who is in, who is out

On February 14, President Akufo-Addo announced the long-awaited ministerial reshuffle.

• Read also: Akufo-Addo’s Ministerial reshuffle too late – Okudzeto Ablakwa

The reshuffle, some NDC legislators argued that it was too late. However, the NPP insists results are what matters not the timing.