President Mahama defends relevance of Council of State in governance

President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday stated that the Council of State was crucial and relevant to the kind of governance Ghana had provided since 1992.

He said: “The framers of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana produced it to reflect our traditional system of governance and that is we think that there is the need to have such a Council to offer pieces of advice to the President and other executive members.”

President Mahama stated this when he addressed the last meeting of the council at the Peduase Lodge in the Eastern Region.

The Council also took advantage of the meeting to present two different reports compiled from March 2009 to December 2012.

President Mahama said although many people outside government had perceived the Council as irrelevant, it had been vibrant and useful in providing information and pieces of advice that had helped in the development needs of the country.

The President said the Council in their deliberations had been frank and open to the Presidency and their advice over the years helped in the transformation of the governance system.

He congratulated them for the pieces of advice they offered before and during the 2012 general election and promised to continue to heed to their advice.

Professor Kofi Awoonor, Chairman of the Council, appealed to the President to continue to tap the talents of members if even they are no longer council members after January next year.

“Some of the members here may not have the privileges of wealth, but I can assure you we have the privilege of knowledge that can be useful for the development of our dear country,” he added.

Source: GNA