The six Ministers of State at the Presidency who have been nominated by President John Mahama are expected to effectively oversee the nearly 51 institutions under the Presidency.

Sections of the general public and governance experts have questioned the nominations of the six as Ministers of State at the Presidency demanding to know what their core duties will be.

However, speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, the Senior Policy Advisor at the Office of the President, Dr. Sulley Gariba explained that “in the Office of the President, there are nearly 51 institutions that are coordinated so apart from the Presidency providing leadership for the whole governance setup, there are 51 disparate institutions.”

He listed the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) and the National Identification Authority (NIA), the Population Council and the Ghana AIDS Commission as some of the institutions which require the President’s attention.

The 51 institutions he noted are among the most central institutions that orchestrate the governance of the country.

Dr. Gariba therefore pointed out that the high number of institutions under the Presidency “deserves adequate supervision.”

“There is an onerous responsibility to have effective oversight for these. They are not Ministries as such but they have substance in making impact on Ghanaian citizens,” he said.

The appointed six according to Dr. Gariba were appointed based on their competence and there will be mandated to “assist him [President Mahama] in keeping effective oversight and in the monitoring and evaluation of these 51 institutions.”

The six Ministers of State at the Presidency are Alhassan Azong, Alhaji Mustapha Ahmed, Mrs. Elizabeth Ofosu-Agyare, Fiifi Kwetey, Alhaji Limuna Mohammed Muniru, and Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe Ghansah.