The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr. Stephen Amoah has requested that ministers living in government apartments be charged monthly rent.

This will help manage expenditures and stabilise the economic mess the country has been facing over the years.

Dr. Amoah, in an exclusive interview with Roselyn Felli on Prime Morning on Wednesday, indicated that it is necessary for Ghanaians to stop expenditures that do not add value to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

“We need to do away with most of the expenditure items that do not have a strong correlation to our GDP growth. For instance, I think all those who are ministers and live in government bungalows should pay. Monthly, they should pay,” the minister suggested.

Additionally, he attributed his statement to the fact that the Minority Leader in parliament, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, had challenged him to reduce his salary following his promotion.

Dr. Amoah explained that the minority leader’s question was intended for the entire citizenry, not just him.

“I think what he meant was not cutting down somebody’s salary, but as a country,”

The deputy minister, who doubles as Member of Parliament for the Nhyiaeso constituency in Ashanti, also asked that ministers refrain from driving state vehicles within Accra.

“If you’re not driving outside of Greater Accra, it should be parked.”

Although Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta initiated the idea, the MP believes that all ministers should get involved.

He further suggested that it is time the government redefined a new paradigm shift in the usage and management of state assets.

He said if the government is successful in implementing such a plan, it will reduce the purchase of land cruisers by 70%.

The financial analyst believes that waste is increasingly becoming a Ghanaian culture and that it must be stopped instantly.

The deputy minister proposed that individuals be interested in supporting and establishing businesses in order to guarantee the stability of the country’s expenditure.