Legal practitioner, Prof Stephen Kwaku Asare, has lauded President John Mahama’s decision to streamline the number of ministries to 23.

Speaking on JoyNews on January 11, Prof. Asare emphasised the importance of entrenching the creation of ministries through legislative processes rather than relying on executive instruments.

“I don’t know whether he read it [my memo to him] or not, but I suggested that it should be 20. However, I think 23 is good. It’s closer to 20 than 30,” he stated.

While he praised the reduction in the number of ministries, Prof. Asare raised concerns about the use of an Executive Instrument to implement the changes, arguing that this approach allows future administrations to make arbitrary changes.

“What I would have loved was that this was done not with an executive instrument, but with legislation, with a statutory amendment, so that it becomes entrenched. An executive instrument can easily be revoked by the next president, who could increase the ministries to 40,” he explained.

He further stressed the need for a structured process to create ministries, underscoring the logistical and personnel demands they require.

• Read also: Mahama restructures Ministries, reduced from 30 to 23 – See full list

“A ministry is something that requires logistics, personnel, and resources. The creation of ministries should only occur after parliamentary consultation and rigorous deliberation,” he added.

Prof. Asare concluded by calling for a cultural shift in governance to ensure that ministries are not easily altered with every change of administration.

“Ideally, we shouldn’t be changing ministries like we do. It should involve consultation and legislation,” he said.

President Mahama’s restructuring, which includes the creation of ministries such as Energy and Green Transition, Youth Development and Empowerment, and Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovations, has received widespread attention as a move towards aligning governance with contemporary challenges.