No immediate reshuffle - President

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said he has no immediate intention to reshuffle any of his ministers because their output meets his expectations.

He said many of the ministers who assisted him to steer the affairs of the country out of the difficulty inherited from the previous government "are still doing very well and their output is considerable”.

"The issue of reshuffling or performance of my ministers is a daily pre-occupation. I’m required, on a daily basis, to ask myself whether a particular minister is up to the mark.

“I’m the final authority and if they are not up to the mark, I am required to act. So if they are up to expectation, then I don't have any reason to heed calls for reshuffling," he said.

Context

Five years in office, the President has not made any widespread Cabinet or ministerial reshuffle, a development that has raised concerns about the effective operations of the ministries.

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has, for instance, called for the sacking of the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, and the removal of the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, as the Chairman of the Economic Management Team, for non-performance.

However, speaking on the Tamale-based North Star FM yesterday, President Akufo-Addo said, "the calls for reshuffling of ministers come for various reasons – NDC wants to destabilise your government and there are people who are also looking for jobs".

Notwithstanding his position on the matter, he said there was the need for all to take a holistic look at matters relating to the reshuffling of ministers and other government appointees.

The interview was part of the President’s two-day tour of the Northern Region.

As part of the tour, he paid a courtesy call on the Overlord of Dagbon, Yaa Naa Abukari II, cut the sod for the Yendi town roads and inspected work on some agenda 111 projects.

Water project

Touching on the delay in the execution of the Tamale and the Yendi water projects, President Akufo-Addo explained that the delay was as a result of due processes being followed for the release of the funds from the Indian EXIM Bank.

"It has got to an advanced stage, and by the end of this year, work will start. The contractor will be on site soon," he said.

He added that the government was determined to ensure that every part of the country had access to potable and frequent water supply.

"Let me re-assure the people that the cutting of the sod was not a gimmick but a step in the right direction," he stressed.

Roads

On roads, the President indicated that 40 road projects had been completed in the Northern Region, while 162 others were ongoing there.

He reiterated the government's resolve to expand road infrastructure in the country, not just to satisfy the demands of the people but also boost the economy.

"A lot of work has been done in the road sector and more work will be done. Our roads were in a terrible state when we came into office, but we have made some significant strides to improve on the road infrastructure across the country," he said.

Economy

While acknowledging the current economic situation, occasioned by global crises, President Akufo-Addo expressed optimism that the economic recovery programme initiated by the government would bring the economy back to stability.

Writer's email: Mohammed.fugu@graphic.com.gh