The Member of Parliament for Builsa South, Dr. Clement Apaak has said President Akufo-Addo will have to listen to the German Ambassador and reduce the size of his government for external help.
German Ambassador to Ghana, Daniel Krull, addressing journalists disclosed that the size of Ghana’s government is bigger than that of his home country Germany.
Mr. Krull further questioned why Ghana should have a high number of appointees in government and go out begging for help.
“I only can compare with other countries like my own and I can just come to the conclusion that the number is much higher than in my country. So that might bring me to the conclusion that maybe there’s room for improvement.
“Well, of course, it depends very much on what kind of expenditures you’re looking at. I’m convinced this is true because if I look at the budget of the German Foreign Ministry of the German government, I’m convinced there are important tasks that can be cut without hurting the economic development. Ghana has a very dense layer of institutions and responsibilities all over the country,” Mr. Krull explained.
He continued: “And I’m convinced without going into details this also is true for Ghana. There are certain expenditures that can be lowered substantially and make an important impact and it has to be part of the package. I mean, I cannot go out to the international community and say I need help, but I’m not willing to cut my own budget expenditures. I have to be careful not to cut the social expenditures that are destroying lives and families. I have to be very careful not to take measures that might negatively impact economic growth.”
Commenting on the remarks by the German Ambassador, the Builsa South Lawmaker said it remains to be seen if President Akufo-Addo will now adhere to the many calls and cut down on expenditure.
“Akufo-Addo has ignored our calls to cut government expenditure, including reducing the size of his bloated and corrupt government.
“Will he now listen, now that the German Ambassador has made it clear that a cut in government expenditure is a condition for external help?” Mr. Apaak asked in a tweet.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
