President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday submitted to Parliament for approval the names of persons for appointments as Ministers in his new government.
Old Ministers who have been re-nominated for their previous positions include Albert Kan Dapaah, National Security; Ken Ofori-Atta, Finance; Alan Kyerematen, Trade and Industry; Dominic Nitiwul, Defence; Ambrose Derry, interior; Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration; and Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Food and Agriculture.
The rest are Kwaku Agyemang Manu, Health; Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Communications and Digitization; Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, Transport; Kwasi Amoako-Atta, Roads and Highways; Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Sanitation and Water Resources; Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, Employment and Labour Relations, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Information; and Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Parliamentary Affairs.
New appointments
Other nominees, who are new to their positions, include Godfred Yeboah Dame, who takes over as the Attorney General and Minister for Justice; Dan Botwe, Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development; Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Energy Minister, who is taking over from John Peter Amewu, who now heads to the Railways Development Ministry.
Former Deputy Education Minister Yaw Osei Adutwum will now be the substantive Minister whilst former Minister of Special Development Initiatives, Hawa Koomson, is Minister-designate for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development.
The rest are Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, Lands and Natural Resources; Francis Asenso-Boakye, Works and Housing; Awal Mohammed, Tourism, Arts and Culture; Sara Adwoa Safo, Gender, Children and Social Protection; Ebenezer Kojo Kum, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs; Kwaku Afriyie, Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation; Mustapha Ussif, Youth and Sports; Joseph Cudjoe, Public Enterprises; and Freda Prempeh, Minister of State, Works and Housing.
Regional Ministers
The President has also nominated Henry Quartey as the Greater Accra Minister; George Boakye; Ahafo; Simon Osei-Mensah, Ashanti; Justina Owusu-Banahene, Bono; Adu Gyan, Bono East; Justina Marigold Assan, Central; Seth Acheampong, Eastern; Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern; and Yidani Zakaria, North East.
Others are Joseph Makubu, Oti; Saeed Muhazu Jibril, Savannah; Stephen Yakubu, Upper East; Hafiz Bin Salih, Upper West; Archibald Yao Letsa; Volta; Kwabena Oktere Darko, Western; and Richard Obeng, Western North.
In an earlier statement, President Akufo-Addo disclosed that he would not appoint Deputy Regional Ministers in his second term of office.
He also indicated that he had realigned seven ministries – Aviation, Business Development, Inner City and Zongo Development, Monitoring and Evaluation, Planning, Regional Re-organisation and Development, and Special Development Initiatives – and abolished the Senior Minister position.
The statement explained that “the President has effected this realignment because virtually all these special-purpose Ministries have achieved the purposes for which they were established.”
“In all, President Akufo-Addo will appoint a total of 30 Ministers, and 16 Regional Ministers, bringing the total number of Ministers to 46,” it added.
New ministry
The statement also indicated that the President intended to appoint a Minister for Public Enterprises, who will be “operating directly under the ambit of the Presidency, and not from a Ministry.”
“The Minister will oversee a major restructuring of the entire state-owned enterprises’ sector to improve the productivity and profitability of the sector.”
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