The German Ambassador to Ghana, Daniel Krull, recently hit the nail right on the head when he told the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led administra­tion of Ghana to cut down its budget if the government wanted help from Germany to revamp its ailing econo­my.

Ghana, we are told, has been begging Germany within the last month to convince China to commit to a creditors meeting to agree on a debt relief package for the country. But the German Ambassador thinks differently. He told the Ghana Gov­ernment to cut down its expenditure and the huge size of government if sincerely, it needs Germany to help convince China and the international community to agree to a debt relief package.

GERMAN AMBASSADOR’S OBSER­VATION

Addressing a press conference in Accra recently, Mr Krull said, it was strange for Ghana to be crying to the international community for help but continues to operate a government bigger than that of Germany. Hear the Ambassador, “I only can compare with other countries like my own and I can just come to the conclusion that the number is much higher than in my country. So, that might bring me to the conclusion that maybe there’s room for improvement.

“ Well, of course, it depends very much on what kind of expenditures you are looking at…I am convinced this is true for if I look at the budget of the German Foreign Ministry of the German Government, I am convinced there are important tasks that can be cut without hurting economic de­velopment. I am convinced without going into details this is true for Gha­na. There are certain expenditures that can be lowered substantially and make an important impact and it has to be part of the package”.

CUTTING DOWN EXPENDITURES

He made it plain that, “I mean I cannot go out to the international community and say I need help, but I am not willing to cut my own budget expenditures. I have to be careful not to cut the social expenditures that are, destroying lives and fami­lies. I have to be very careful not to take measures that might negatively impact economic growth. But, I believe there are many expenditures that can be looked at very carefully and can be lowered substantially”.

He was, however, apprehensive that the $3 billion bailout being sought from the International Mon­etary Fund (IMF) would be in danger of not being approved, if China fails to agree to a debt relief package for Ghana.

DOWNSIZING OF MINISTERS

Ghana, as a matter of fact, finds itself in a dire situation at this junc­ture because the government has re­fused to heed to numer­ous calls and pieces of advice from the citizens, especially the economic think tanks to cut down expenditures and reduce the present large size of ministers and other polit­ical appointees to con­serve the needed funds.

It is recalled that, President Akufo-Addo submitted to Parliament for approval, through the Speaker, Rt Hon. Alban Bagbin, a list of names for appointment as Ministers in his current administration in January 2021. The list included the names of 46 per­sons expected to fill the ministerial positions and support the president to fulfil his mandate in the next four years. Ahead of that official statement, the Head of Communica­tions at the presidency, Mr Eugene Arhin, issued a communique indicating that the total number of ministers to be appointed by the President in his second term would not exceed 85. That was a sharp contrast with the 126 ministe­rial appointments that characterised his first term in office.

ADVICE TO THE PRESIDENT

A number of well-meaning and prominent personalities including the President of IMANI Africa, Mr Franklin Cudjoe, had said that the problem with the government was not only about performance of the ministers, but also included the size of govern­ment and the number of ministries operating in the country, hence merely changing ministers would not solve the problem. Some have allud­ed that taking into consideration the current poor state of the economy, a reduction in the size of government would save the country some GHc 6 billion expenditure. There are other schools of thought which say that there are too many ministries that could be collapsed to fit into other agencies under some of the min­istries. Some were suggesting the reduction of the present size of 86 to at least 40 Ministers and the country will save cost and move forward in the right direction.

TECHNOCRATS AT VARIOUS MIN­ISTRIES

It is interesting to note that even some of the ministries apart from the substantive ministers, also have Min­isters of State with special responsi­bilities in addition, to more than one deputy ministers. What kind of arrange­ment is this and for what purpose is this ar­rangement serving? Besides all these appoint­ments, there are techno­crats in the persons of Chief Directors as well as Directors of Depart­ments in these ministries. The presidency as well as the Vice President’s office is packed with some political appoin­tees designated with strange titles one can think of and are being paid with the taxpayer’s money.

It is a fact that, we cannot hold on to this large size of government and expect the international com­munity to support us in our quest to restore the micro economic chal­lenges of the country. Some of these developed countries we are seeking assistance from do not have large size of government as ours even though they have sound economic variables. That is exactly what the German Ambassador alluded to when we approached his country for sup­port to convince China and the other international community to resched­ule our debt payments.

TACKLING OUR PROBLEMS FROM WITHIN

The numerous challenges we are confronted with as a country can be addressed starting from our door­step by doing what is expected of us before looking outside for assistance, otherwise we will be a mockery and a laughing stock of the international community and be subjected to gen­eral mockery or ridicule.

Ghana has been a beacon of hope for Africa, representing the African continent at the highest level. Many African countries continue to look up to Ghana for their source of inspira­tion, even though we are confronted with major economic challenges and we should not do things that will erode the confidence bestowed on us by our colonial masters that had attracted international recognition and trust.

It was unfortunate that the President in his recent State of the Nation Address to Parliament, used the platform to launch an attack on the diplomatic community in Ghana for meddling in the affairs of the state, knowing very well that it was his government that called the shot. If we have remained silent over the economic problems and had not asked the diplomatic community to come to our aid by writing off some of our debts payment and also asking Germany to convince China to bail us out of our current predicament, how on earth would the German Ambassa­dor have poked his nose or interfered in Ghana’s internal affairs? Indeed, our current economic downturn, is making us to open up to the interna­tional community at the least op­portunity and, therefore, we should blame ourselves and nobody else.

WE NEED THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS

Let us remember that we cannot stay in isolation as far as our eco­nomic progress is concerned. We will need the services of other countries, especially the developed and more advanced ones to help us out of our economic difficulties. That is why we have to listen to tangible advice and counselling from diplomats ap­pointed to represent their countries’ interests in Ghana.

The present precarious state of the economy today which the President himself has admitted in his State of the Nation Address to Parliament recently, presupposes that, the Akufo-Addo-led administra­tion, should as a matter of principle, listen to the voice of the people and do what is right and just irrespective of political inclinations to resolve the present micro and macro-economic challenges of the country within the shortest possible time.

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By Charles Neequaye