In line with the vision to a more responsive and efficient Ministry, which will deliver more effectively on its core mandate of efficient public financial management, the Ministry of Finance has undergone a reorganization.
A release made available to Goldstreet Business indicates that the Divisions within the Ministry have been reorganized to focus on the core functions, as part of its functional review, reform agenda and to conform to international best practice.
This is the first time in over thirty years that the Ministry is witnessing such a major restructuring.
The reorganized Divisions will be known as: Budget, Treasury and Debt Management, Economic Strategy and Research, Resource Mobilization and Economic Relations, Public Investment and Assets, Human Capital and General Administration, Financial Sector, as well as Policy Coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation. Advisory Units will include Legal, Internal Audit and a Transformation Unit.
Announcing this, Ken Ofori-Atta, Finance Minister, said the Ministry was undergoing these bold, structural and human capital reforms for efficiency and prompt delivery of service to Ghanaians.
“In line with our new slogan at the Ministry, we are poised to be more professional, efficient, ethical and responsive to our MDAs and all other stakeholders and to transform Ghana beyond Aid,” Ofori-Atta stated.
This reorganization of the functions of the divisions is geared towards helping the ministry to be more focused on an aggressive revenue policy, resource mobilization, treasury management and expenditure control, as well as responding timely to the needs of all MDAs in the delivery of the national budget in 2019 and beyond.
New Appointments
As part of the reorganization, the ministry has appointed two new directors who will deputize for the Chief Director and will be known as Coordinating Directors. This newly established director role was made by the Office of the Head of Civil Service.
The minister is optimistic that the new Coordinating Director roles established will ensure greater focus on the core issues that will position the Ministry to be more effective in carrying out its mandate.
The first directors to hold the newly established post of Coordinating Directors are Mr. Michael Ayesu and Ms. Eva Esselba Mends, with 30 and 27 years of work experience in the Ministry respectively.
Until their elevation to these roles, Mr. Michael Ayesu and Ms. Eva Mends were directors for External Resource Mobilization – Multilateral and Budget Divisions.
Furthermore, a new Director of Budget, Mrs. Evelyn Abena Arthur has been appointed. Until her appointment, Mrs. Arthur was the Head of Budget Planning and Preparation Unit where she coordinated the processes for the preparation of national medium term and annual budgets and related government policies. She is the second woman to be appointed to the position of Director of Budget in Ghana.
The new appointments took effect from Wednesday January 2, 2019.
By Joshua W. Amlanu