Franklin Cudjoe, the President of IMANI Africa, has reminded President John Dramani Mahama that his period of leniency has come to an end.
He asserts that it is essential for the president to appoint a substantive defence minister, enabling Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson to concentrate fully on the Finance Ministry and the economic transformation of Ghana.
“Please free Finance Minister, Ato Forson from the additional duty as Defence Minister so he can focus and continue being fiscally disciplined,” he stated in a Facebook post.
He recognized that the president has made a commendable start; however, it will be necessary to address some loose ends within his administration if he aims to establish a lasting legacy.
“Mr. President John Dramani Mahama, you have started off very well but a few crucial things and people under your control need re-orientation to your reset agenda. More later in the upcoming IMANI Public Sentiment Report.. Now though the honeymoon is truly over. 2026 is a crucial year for the rollout of some of your Big Push projects with significant budgets,” he remarked.
Franklin Cudjoe urged the president to appoint an Administrator/Assessor-General from the civil service for all major government projects.
“In order to ensure that these big projects are delivered on time, within budgets and less prone to corruption-inspired procurement, please consider recruiting from the civil service an Administrator/Assessor-General of all major government projects,” he advised.
He also noted that “The person(s) could conduct Risk Analysis on all Government Projects. For most strategic projects, the requisite expertise may be spread across multiple ministries, departments and agencies”.
Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama assured Ghanaians in December that substantive ministers for Defence and Environment would be appointed this year.
