Government proposes capping ministers at 60.

The government proposes capping ministers at 60; Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has announced this as part of the government’s response to the Constitution Review Committee’s (CRC) recommendations on constitutional reforms.

Addressing journalists on Thursday, July 30, Dr Ayine said the government has accepted in principle the recommendation to place a limit on the number of Ministers of State to prevent the Executive from becoming excessively large. However, it has proposed a maximum of 60 ministers, instead of the Constitution Review Committee’s recommendation of 57 ministers.

The Constitution Review Committee had recommended amending Article 78(2) of the 1992 Constitution to cap the total number of Ministers of State at three times the size of Cabinet. Since the Constitution limits Cabinet Ministers to 19, the committee’s proposal would have restricted the total number of ministers to 57. The committee also proposed barring the appointment of Deputy Regional Ministers.

Explaining the government’s position, Dr Ayine said Government proposes capping ministers at 60 because it agrees that a ceiling is necessary to promote efficiency and reduce the size of the Executive, while still giving the President sufficient flexibility in constituting a government.

According to the government’s Position Paper, “The Government agrees that a ceiling on the total number of Ministers is desirable to prevent a bloated Executive arm of government. However, rather than fixing the cap at three times the Cabinet size, the Government proposes a cap of 60 Ministers of State. This provides the President with some flexibility while still imposing a meaningful constraint.”

The government, however, rejected the committee’s recommendation to prohibit Members of Parliament from being appointed as Ministers of State, Deputy Ministers or Regional Ministers.

Dr Ayine explained that the President should retain the discretion to appoint ministers from within or outside Parliament, arguing that Members of Parliament contribute valuable legislative experience and constituency knowledge to the Executive.

He added that Ghana’s hybrid system of government strikes an appropriate balance between a presidential and parliamentary system and should therefore be preserved. Instead, the government proposes deleting the constitutional requirement that the majority of ministers must be appointed from among Members of Parliament, allowing the President to appoint ministers from Parliament or outside Parliament as deemed appropriate.

Government proposes capping ministers at 60 as part of a broader package of constitutional reforms aimed at improving governance, strengthening accountability and making the Executive more efficient while preserving the President’s flexibility in forming a government.

If approved through the constitutional amendment process, the proposed changes will redefine the size and composition of future governments under Ghana’s Fourth Republic.