The president of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has sworn into office his first set of ministers at the Jubilee House today. This comes after the then ministers-designate had been vetted and recommended for approval by the Appointments Committee of Parliament.
Three of the ministers: Honourable Mavis Hawa Koomson, Fisheries and Aquaculture Development; Honourable Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, Information; and Honourable Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Food and Agriculture had their ministerial fate decided by a majority approval in a parliamentary secret voting system after the Appointments Committee had recommended their rejection for various “offenses”.
In all 28 out of the 30 ministers of the president’s first batch of 46 nominees, including National Security Minister, Albert Kan Dapaah, Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyeremanten, and Dominic Nitiwul, Minister of Defence have all been duly sworn into office.
The rest are Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration; Ambrose Dery, Minister for the Interior; Godfred Dame, Attorney General; Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Minister for Energy, among many others.
The list is also made up of first time ministers including MP for Bantama, Honorable Francis Asenso Boakye, and Honourable Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, MP for Damango and Minister for Lands and Natural Resources.
The pair also served in the president’s first term as Deputy Chiefs of Stuff.
However, Mr. Ken Ofori Atta, Minister-designate for Finance is out of the country due to sickness, and has since not been vetted and recommended for approval or rejection.
Also, Member of Parliament for Ahanta West and Minister-designate for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Honourable Ebenezer Kojo Kum could not be sworn in because he was indisposed.
In his closing remarks the president charged the newly sworn in ministers to justify to the country the confidence reposed in them, and uphold the oaths that they have sworn; namely the Oath of Allegiance, the Oath of Office and the Oath of Secrecy. He stated that some of the ministers were new to the workings of government, but he is confident that they will deliver on their mandate.
The representative of the newly sworn in ministers, Honourable Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful who is the minister for Communications and Digitization expressed sincere appreciation on behalf of her colleague ministers to the president for the trust reposed in them. She also thanked the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Honourable Alban Bagbin, and the members of the Appointments Committee of Parliament for the bipartisan approach towards their approval.
Background
President Akufo-Addo in January, this year submitted to Parliament for the approval, through the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, a list of names for appointment as Ministers in his new government.
The list included the names of some 46 persons expected to fill the ministerial positions and support the president to fulfil his mandate in the next four years.
Ahead of this official statement, the Head of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Bentum Arhin issued a communique indicating that the total number of Ministers to be appointed by President Akufo-Addo in his second term would not exceed 85, contrary to the 126 ministerial appointments that characterised his first term in office.
Although the president maintained many of the appointees from his previous term, a few notable ones did not make the new list.
Key among those who were excluded from this list of nominees are Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister for Local Government, Hajia Alima Mahama, Railways and Development minister, Joe Ghartey, Ministry of Works and Housing Samuel Atta Akyea and Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Gloria Akuffo.
Source: obaatanparadioonline.com