Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Sanitation and Water Resources Minister
A member of the NPP National Communications Team, Lawrence Kwesi Botchway Jnr., has fiercely rebuked opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs’ calls for the removal of the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, following alleged money theft by househelps at her residence.
In a statement to rubbish such claims, Kwesi Botchway Jnr. acknowledged that there had, indeed, been an incident involving theft by the housemaids of Madam Cecilia Dapaah. However, he vehemently debunked the figures being circulated, stating that the money involved was nowhere near the speculated amounts of “not $1 million and €300K”.
Standing firm in her defense, the NPP Communications Team member asserted that the accusations had been blown out of proportion. “The money was not stolen on a day. The money was actually stolen in bits since 2019. All the money does not belong to Madam Cecilia Dapaah. About 70% of the money belongs to the husband of Mad. Dapaah, who is an accomplished business mogul,” he stated.
He added that: “Madam Cecelia Dapaah and her husband after realising their house maids have been stealing their money reported to the police station and investigations revealed they started the operations since 2019”.
Kwesi Botchway Jnr. indicated that the Sanitation Minister is an accomplished States woman who had served in several capacities since 2001. Staunchly supporting Cecilia Dapaah, he maintained that the incident, while unfortunate, does not warrant her immediate removal from office.
He argued that the Minister should not be judged solely on the actions of her housemaids, and that she should be given the opportunity to address the matter appropriately.
Cecilia Dapaah
Madam Cecilia Dapaah served as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Ghana Cocoa Processing Company between 2001 and 2006. She was the deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing under the erstwhile President Kufuor’s administration, from 2005 to 2006, and became the Minister of State from 2007 to 2008.
During the Minister’s term as Member of Parliament for Bantama (in the Ashanti Region), she served on various committees such as Works and Housing; Advisory Committee to the Speaker; Employment, Social Welfare and Youth; Foreign Affairs; and Special Budget.
Cecilia Abena Dapaah was the Minister of Aviation from 2017 and served in that capacity till she was moved to the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources in 2018 till date. Whilst serving in the capacity as a Minister, she held the position of the Executive Oversight and Chairperson of the Ghana Aids Commission between 2017 and 2021.
She was also the Caretaker Minister for the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection for a year (2021-2022). She is the Chairperson of the Infrastructure Committee of Cabinet and the President of the Council of Ministers of the Volta Basin Authority
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