President John Dramani Mahama has charged the incoming Minister for Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, to work hard to meet the expectations of the nation. Mr. Mahama stated that the people of Ghana are looking to him [Ato Forson] to reduce inflation and make life more affordable in the country.
“…I have just sworn you in [the first six ministers] who are responsible for perhaps the most critical sectors of our national life especially Economy and the Energy sector. In economy, the people are looking up to you Dr Forson to reduce inflation and make life more affordable, reduce the cost of living – they are looking up to you to bring our national debt to sustainable levels. They are looking to you to stabilize our currency and they’re looking to you to rein in the deficits so that we can achieve macroeconomic stability” he stressed.
President Mahama made these remarks on Wednesday (January 22, 2025) at the Jubilee House when he sworn in the Minister for Finance, Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Minister for Energy, Minister for Roads and Highways, Minister for Education and the Minister for Food and Agriculture.
To the Energy Minister, John Abdulai Jinapor, Mr. Mahama said Ghanaians expect a stable and efficient power supply, emphasizing that the nation also look up to him to accelerate the upstream and downstream petroleum sectors in order that the country to reap the benefits of the potential that God has given us.
He added the citizenry look up to him to manage the energy sector debt and be able to remove it as an albatross around the neck of the country’s economy.
The President didn’t also mince words to tell the Minister for Food and Agriculture to ensure food security in the country, stating that the people are expecting him [Mr. Eric Opoku] to ensure food prices become cheap and affordable to households.
President Mahama also charged the incoming Roads and Highways Minister, Governs Agbo to ensure the proper maintenance of the existing road network in the country and also provide new roads to facilitate easy transportation across the nation.
On education, John Mahama tasked the sector Minister, Hon Haruna Iddrisu, to ensure that there is quality education and the young Ghanaian children are equipped with the requisite skills which will propel them into the world of work.
“And one of your first responsibilities would be to superintendent the national review conference on education, to bring stakeholders together to dialogue on how to improve our educational outcomes” he added.
On the Justice delivery system, President Mahama stated that the Attorney General is required to reform the Justice system to make it fair and transparent to all Ghanaians, stressing that he would also be responsible for holding people accountable and making sure that the sword of justice goes after people who have misappropriated the resources of Ghana.
“One of the major tasks you would have to undertake is to shepherd the national Constitutional validation conference in order that we can begin amendment of our Constitution to make it a living document” he added.
