John Mahama Says Future NDC government Will Dissolve Sanitation Ministry, Merge Other Ministries

• John Mahama says his future government will dissolve the Ministry of Sanitation and merge some other ministries to cut expenditure
• According to him, the Sanitation Ministry, in particular, has been useless since its establishment. Ghana's cities have gotten dirtier, he said
• He added that he would merge the Railways and Aviation Ministries under the Transport Ministry

The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, says the Ministry of Sanitation will be shut down in his future government.

According to the former President, the current arrangement with a standalone Sanitation Ministry must be reversed, unlike the previous situation where local governments were in charge of sanitation.

He explained that despite vast sums of money allocated to the ministry, the sanitation situation in Ghana’s cities has worsened under the current arrangement.

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He noted that, in pursuit of his leaner government agenda, he would eliminate that ministry to reduce expenditures and merge some other ministries.

He reiterated his commitment to merging the Transport, Aviation and Railways Ministries under the Transport Ministry.

He added he would merge the Communications and Information Ministries again to drastically reduce the number of ministries and ministerial appointments and cut costs.

Mahama promises to restrict the import of specific essential commodities

Earlier, John Mahama promised to implement import restrictions on specific essential commodities if he becomes president.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer gave assurances to the Association of Ghana Industries at a recent stakeholder meeting held in Accra.

According to him, legislation was needed to support the growth of businesses.

Mahama said he would boost the production of certain local goods as part of his plans to restrict imports.

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He noted plans to support the Volta Aluminium Company, for example.

The former president proposed augmenting local production capacities for these and other items, such as rice, sugar, tomatoes, fish, poultry, meat, and meat products.

This follows a Ghana Statistical Report, which said the country recorded a trade surplus of GH¢2.4 billion in the first half of 2023, compared to a trade deficit of GH¢2.3 billion in the same period of 2022.

The former President believes this would help reduce the country’s dependence on imports and grow the nation’s export volumes.

Mahama promises to address water shortage challenges in Accra

YEN.com.gh reported that John Mahama says his future NDC government will improve access to water within the capital city.

Currently, there are parts of the capital that are experiencing acute water shortages.

The former president blames the failure of the Akufo-Addo administration to expand existing water accessibility capacity.

Source: YEN.com.gh