None of the 60 Ministers in my lean gov’t will be entitled to ex-gratia — Mahama

The flagbearer elect of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama has promised to run a lean government to unburden the public purse when elected President of Ghana once again.

Delivering his acceptance speech to lead the NDC as its flagbearer in the 2024 general election on Monday, May 15, the former President said his plan is to run government with just 60 Ministers.

He assured that he will ensure all ministers sign an undertaking that will bind them not to be entitled to ex-gratia at the end of their service to the nation.

“I am committed to operating a government with no more than 60 Ministers and they will not be entitled to ex gratia. They will sign an undertaking for this,” John Dramani Mahama stressed.

The payments of ex-gratia to members of the Executive under Article 71 in the last few years have been very topical with many Civil Society Organisations and lawyers calling for it to be scrapped.

Meanwhile, former President John Dramani Mahama has dedicated his victory in the flagbearer election of the NDC to former Presidents Jerry John Rawlings and John Evans Atta-Mills.

“With profound gratitude, I humbly accept to be the Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress. I dedicate this victory to the founder of our party, Jerry John Rawlings, to my late boss and mentor Prof. John Evans Atta-Mills, to my former Vice President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah Attah, and the many hundreds of our senior comrades who laboured to build this political tradition that we have the privilege of leading today,” John Dramani Mahama said.