Policy think tank IMANI-Africa has called on President John Dramani Mahama to relieve Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson of his additional role as acting Defence Minister, warning that the dual responsibility could undermine fiscal discipline at a critical moment for the economy.

The call was made by IMANI-Africa President, Franklin Cudjoe, in a Facebook post assessing the early performance of the Mahama administration and outlining priorities ahead of the rollout of major government projects in 2026.

According to Mr Cudjoe, while President Mahama has “started off very well”, the scale and complexity of the government’s planned “Big Push” projects demand undivided attention from the Finance Minister to safeguard public finances.

“Please free Finance Minister, Ato Forson from the additional duty as Defence Minister so he can focus and continue being fiscally disciplined,” he wrote.

He argued that Dr Forson must be allowed to concentrate fully on managing the economy, maintaining fiscal discipline and overseeing budget execution, especially as significant capital expenditure is expected in the coming year.

Cudjoe warned that overstretching key officials increases the risk of inefficiencies, procurement challenges and weak oversight, particularly in large-scale infrastructure projects.

He also proposed strengthening the Cabinet Office and appointing an Administrator-General or Assessor-General from the civil service to independently monitor and conduct risk analysis on all major government projects.

IMANI’s Boss said proactive oversight would help prevent corruption, cost overruns and delays, stressing that Ghana cannot afford another cycle of waste and post-tenure accountability exercises.