The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu, has expressed confidence in the president-elect, John Dramani Mahama’s commitment to maintaining only sixty ministers.

According to him, this pledge was made by the former president during his campaign, aiming to protect the public purse. During the launch of the NDC’s manifesto in the Central Region on August 24, Mahama pledged that he would work to abolish the payment of ex-gratia and cut out waste and ostentation in government when elected.

Speaking to the press on Monday, December 16, ahead of parliament’s first sitting after the general election, Mr Iddrisu emphasized that John Mahama will remain committed to this pledge.

“A true meaning of the public purse would be to downsize the government. He intends to run a government with sixty ministers. That’s very, very doable. I foresee him running a government with 23 ministers, some 19 cabinet ministers, and some 16 regional ministers. It gives you some mathematics of 54-58 ministers,” he stated.

He further explained the reasons why this intention would be carried out by the next government.

“For him, it is about protecting the public purse and preserving public resources, which otherwise would have gone into salaries, facilities, and privileges of ministers receiving that money in the name of their republic,” he added.

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