Founding President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has commended President John Dramani Mahama for what he described as a strong start to his administration, while cautioning that critical adjustments are needed to align governance structures with the President’s “reset agenda.”
In a New Year message shared publicly, Mr Cudjoe said although the President has begun well, “a few crucial things and people under your control need re-orientation,” noting that 2026 would be a decisive year for the rollout of major government projects under the administration’s “Big Push” programme.
He urged President Mahama to relieve Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, of his additional responsibility as Defence Minister to allow him to concentrate fully on fiscal management. According to Mr Cudjoe, the Finance Minister’s focus is critical to maintaining budget discipline at a time when government is preparing to implement capital-intensive projects.
Mr Cudjoe further proposed the creation of an independent Administrator or Assessor-General for major government projects, recruited from the civil service, to oversee implementation. He said such an official or team should be tasked with conducting risk analysis on large-scale projects to ensure they are delivered on time, within budget and with minimal exposure to procurement-related corruption.
He explained that many strategic projects require expertise drawn from multiple ministries, departments and agencies, and called for a strengthened Cabinet Office with enhanced powers to coordinate technical, financial and political accountability across government.
IMANI Africa, he said, remains prepared to support government oversight efforts and will continue to provide independent assessments of project execution, as it has done over the past two decades. He indicated that further analysis would be presented in the group’s upcoming IMANI Public Sentiment Report.
Mr Cudjoe warned against the need for future post-administration accountability exercises, arguing that corruption and mismanagement should be prevented before they occur rather than investigated after the fact. While acknowledging that most of the President’s appointees appear competent and responsible, he stressed the importance of strong systems to deter waste and abuse.
He also praised the performance of the President’s Executive Secretary, Dr Callistus Mahama, describing operations at the Presidency as efficient and urging that standard to be replicated across government.
Mr Cudjoe concluded by wishing President Mahama a successful year, expressing confidence that the administration could meet its goals with the right institutional arrangements and oversight mechanisms in place.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
