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The list of persons to serve as ministers and deputy ministers in the second term of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo may not exceed 85, Jubilee House sources have hinted Asaase News.

The president is expected to release his ministerial list this week to coincide with the establishment of the Appointments Committee of Parliament.

With President Akufo-Addo having been sworn into office nearly two weeks ago, though having designated persons to serve as his representatives in Ministries, there has been anxiety, especially amongst former appointees of government and the general public, with speculations rife as to who will be appointed.

Asaase News is reliably informed that President Akufo-Addo, since his swearing-in for a second term, has taken a number of significant decisions with regards to appointments to be made. Among the decisions taken, for which Asaase News can confirm, is that there will be a considerable reduction in the number of ministers and deputy ministers to be announced.

From the 126 ministers who served in the first term of the Akufo-Addo administration, sources at the Office of the President indicate that the number of ministers, regional ministers and deputy ministers to be appointed will not exceed 85. Indeed, the number of Ministries is also set to reduce from 36 to not more than 29 in his second term.

A blend of new faces
“The Ministers and Deputy Ministers to be appointed will be a blend of new faces and old members of the President’s last government. It will be national in character, and the Ministries to be announced by President Akufo-Addo will reinforce his focus for the second term, accelerate job and wealth creation, strengthen the private sector, and see to the rapid development of the country,” the source familiar with the appointments indicated.

Additionally, the source revealed that MPs who served either as ministers or deputy ministers, but did not secure re-election in the parliamentary elections of 7 December 2020, will not find themselves in the new government of President Akufo-Addo.

Already, the President has taken the decision to take away matters to do with the phenomenon of illegal mining, popularly referred to as ‘galamsey’, from the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, back to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.

The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) has also been dissolved by President Akufo-Addo.