Akufo-Addo’s new Railway Ministry is irrelevant – Franklin Cudjoe

President of policy think tank IMANI Ghana, Franklin Cudjoe, has said the government’s rearrangement of some ministries which has brought a Ministry for Railways Development with the appointment of Member of Parliament for Essikado-Ketan, Joe Ghartey as the minister-designate for the new ministry is totally out-of-place.

According to him, the work of Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Railways Development and Ministry of Roads and Highways are tightly related and it will be quite prudent for the government to engage potential private sector beneficiaries of an enhanced railway services towards developing infrastructure for railway development rather than create a ministry for it.

Speaking Citi FM's Eyewitness News, he explained that, “The Ministry of Railway Development is entirely needless because what you do need for railway development is money. You need $2 billion in order to fix the railway. How you go about it is to speak to the heavy users of railways. So miners; let them get involved and help you raise money. Cocoa producers; let them get involved and help you raise money and then you are gone. You don’t need a ministry to integrate railway development", he emphasised.

“It seems to me that the mantra of trying to be leaner in government business seems to be faltering away. If we don’t take care we might hit probably 30 ministries”, he lamented.

President Nana Akufo Addo, it must be noted, has named two batches of his ministers totalling 25 with four new ministries created.

The new portfolios include Ministry of Monitoring and Evaluation, and the Ministry of Re-organisation and Special Projects, National Security Ministry, Sanitation and Water Resources.