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President John Mahama has explained that his decision to abolish the Ministry of Information forms part of his broader efforts to reduce the size of government and streamline operations.
On January 11, the president reduced the number of ministries from 30 to 23, exercising the authority granted to him under section 11(3) of the Civil Service Act, 1993 (PNDCL 327), and the Civil Service (Ministries) Instrument, 2025.
“Now, about government communications, you notice that there is no information ministry in the lineup of 23 ministries that we recently announced. That was partly in response to our promise to downsize the government,” President Mahama stated during a meeting with Esther Ambah Numaba Cobbah, President of the Institute of Public Relations (IPR), Ghana, at the Flagstaff House in Accra.
He added that this structural adjustment required a strategic approach to managing the flow of government information, which remains vital to achieving the administration’s objectives.
“But then it also meant that we had to be very strategic in how we dealt, especially with the flow of information from government, because that’s critical to the success of whatever we intend to do, and so the structure we put was to bring (the) Information (Ministry) into the Presidency,” he explained.
President Mahama further highlighted the creation of a Minister of State in charge of Governmental Communications to oversee this new arrangement, supported by a team of skilled communications professionals within critical sectors.
“That was to anchor it with a string of strong communications professionals in the most critical sectors to guarantee as much information flow to the public as possible,” he added.
The President also announced plans to modernize the Information Services Department (ISD), bringing it under the Presidency to enhance its effectiveness. He noted that the days of traditional communication methods, such as the cinema van, were long gone, and there was a need to adapt to modern tools and platforms.
“That Department must be reformed,” he emphasized, revealing that steps were being taken to restructure both the ISD and the Ghana News Agency to improve their efficiency in disseminating government information.
“The Government needed to create a certain synergy and modernise the two state organisations to enhance news and information flow to Ghanaians,” he said.
Madam Cobbah congratulated President Mahama on his electoral victory and lauded his dedication to the IPR Ghana. She also commended him for his generous donation of a bus to the Institute, acknowledging his continued support.
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