President’s evaluation of ministers a novelty in right direction

Monitoring and evaluation are critical for the building of strong societies.

That is why President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s initiative to evaluate the performance of his ministers who have been in office for over a year cannot be downplayed.

The exercise, which began on Monday with the appraisal of four of his key sector ministers, is a novelty which will not only allow the President to independently have conversations with his appointees but also chart a path for accelerated national development.

In the view of the Daily Graphic, the initiative, if sustained, will go a long way to deepen the growing democratic credentials of the country.

Information available to the Daily Graphic is that the various ministers had already submitted reports detailing their key priority areas to the Presidency. The reports will help the President easily assess the ministers over the period, in line with their constitutional mandates and how they dovetail into the overall development agenda of the government.

At the end of the special evaluation exercise, all ministers are expected to be evaluated.

This evaluation is all in line with the creation of the Ministry of Monitoring and Evaluation by the President and headed by Dr Anthony Akoto Osei.

A year in power is a good time for the various ministers to account for their stewardship, appraise how the government’s flagship programmes are being rolled out and see the way forward.

Although there has not been any official indication from the Presidency regarding a ministerial reshuffle, the assessment comes at a time of rife speculations about an upcoming reshuffle.

This notwithstanding, the Daily Graphic is of the considered opinion that the evaluation of performance in any organisation is necessary and must not be taken lightly. If properly carried out, it will help the government stay focused as it gauges how well or not its functionaries are delivering on their mandate.

Regular evaluation of ministers by the President will not only help the appointees know how to avoid pitfalls that can slow down the pace of national development and progress but also go a long way to enhance organisational performance.

It is in this light that we applaud the President’s initiative to have conversations with his ministers on their performance and the way forward.

The initiative clearly shows that the President is ready to listen to his ministers’ advice in fashioning the destiny of the country which, in itself, will increase the confidence of his ministers to work.

We believe the exercise can also help diffuse any top-down leadership structures to inculcate broader views and perspective in the good governance process.

More importantly, it will equally provide details of challenges and what steps need to be taken to address them, as well as the tentative timetable for the attainment of the tasks assigned.

We are of the firm conviction that the exercise is a good one which must be sustained.