President Mahama swears in Deputy Ministers, Minister of State

President John Dramani Mahama swore in 13 Deputy Ministers and one Minister of State in a ceremony held at the Presidency. 

The event, attended by senior government officials, Members of Parliament, family members of the appointees and media representatives, marked another step towards fulfilling his administration’s promise of creating a lean, efficient and performance-driven government. 

Mahama reiterated his administration’s dedication to fiscal discipline and responsible governance.

He said the appointments were carefully curated to provide additional support to ministries with heavier workloads, such as finance, agriculture, energy, education, health, among others.

These ministries, he noted, played critical roles in driving economic growth, infrastructural development and job creation across the country.

“From the outset of this administration, I gave a solemn assurance to the people of Ghana that I will fulfill my promise to create a lean, efficient, cost-effective and performance-driven government,” President Mahama said.

“We have committed to reducing the size of government from the largest ever in the history of our country to the smallest ever, while ensuring that every ministry or agency critical to national progress receives the necessary support to fulfill its objectives,” he added. 

Ministers

The newly sworn-in officials included Thomas Ampem Nyarko as Deputy Minister of Finance, Ebenezer Terlabi as Deputy Minister for Interior, Samson Ahi as Deputy Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, and Clement Apaak as Deputy Minister for Education.

Others are Richard Gyan Mensah as Deputy Minister for Energy, John Dumelo as Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture and Lydia Akanvariba as Minister of State in charge of Public Sector Reforms. 

The rest were Deputy Minister of Creative Arts and Tourism, Yusif Isaka Jajah; Deputy Attorney-General, Justice Sai; Deputy Minister of Defence, Ernest Brogya Gyenfi; Deputy Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Rita Naa Odoley Sowah; Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways, Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini, and Deputy Minister of Works, Housing and Water Resources, Gizella Tettey-Agbotui.

President Mahama highlighted that the appointments were made with a focus on efficiency, noting that ministries capable of functioning effectively without Deputy Ministers were not assigned any.

This approach, he explained, aligned with the administration’s broader goal of ensuring that public resources were used responsibly, and that government expenditure balanced with the need for citizens to fund national development through taxes.

The President also expressed gratitude to Parliament for its swift approval of ministerial nominees, which he described as the earliest under the Fourth Republic.

He revealed that a final list of four Deputy Ministers would be submitted this week to achieve the full complement of 60 ministers promised by his administration.

In addition to reducing the number of ministerial appointees, President Mahama emphasised that the commitment to a lean government extended to the Presidency itself.

He disclosed that only 30 political appointees have been named so far, a significant reduction from the 336 political appointees under the previous administration.

The President also outlined key policies and initiatives aimed at revitalising the economy and improving the lives of citizens.

He referenced the recent budget statement presented to Parliament, which allocated funds for critical programmes such as the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, the National Apprenticeship Programme and the One Million Coders Programme.

He also highlighted measures to support vulnerable groups, including the distribution of sanitary towels to schoolgirls and the absorption of tertiary education fees for persons with disabilities.

President Mahama urged the newly sworn-in officials to uphold the highest standards of accountability, diligence and hard work.