APPENDIX APPENDIX I AFRICAN PEER REVIEW MECHANISM COUNTRY REPORT GHANA: COMMENTS FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF GHANA INTRODUCTION The Government of Ghana (GOG) has taken note of the APRM Country Report and wishes to first congratulate the APRM Panel for a report that lives up to the expectations of the APRM. The Government also notes that this is the first APRM Report of its kind, not only in Africa but also perhaps in the whole world. It has therefore taken cognisance of the fact that as a novel project, it does not have antecedents. It is further observed, that the most important aspect of the Report is the extent to which it meets the APRM principles of an open, transparent, participatory, democratic and accountable approach. The Report also meets the criteria of credibility, objectivity, professionalism and absence of political manipulation. Furthermore, the GOG is of the view that the essence of the APRM and its commitment to that process is to foster good governance and socio-economic development to alleviate poverty. Ghana’s political will and commitment to be the first country to accede to and implement the APRM has been guided by its long standing, pan-Africanist traditions to join hands with other African countries. The GOG in this respect is convinced that unless the entire continent endeavours to make a united and concerted effort the meaningful development of Africa cannot be Attained. With these principles in view, we wish to submit the following comments on the Ghana Country Report. First of all we have observed that the document still requires some editorial work and we hope the Panel would take the appropriate measures to address these gaps and deficiencies. COMMENTS The Government of Ghana has noted that the Report has come out with many worthwhile recommendations. However some of these recommendations fall outside the ambit of the country’s Constitution, which is the supreme law. Examples include putting a cap on the number of Ministers that can be appointed, as well as the number of ministries that can be created. Another is the introduction of partisan politics into District Assemblies and thirdly, doing away with the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. 149