President Nana Akufo-Addo
President Nana Akufo-Addo has named members of his cabinet in line with the 1992 Constitution to help him execute his economic plans to meet the electoral promises made to Ghanaians during the 2016 electioneering campaign.
In a communication to parliament yesterday to officially announce his cabinet ministers, President Akufo-Addo named 19 ministers but left out some other key ministers like those of Local Government and Rural Development, Works and Housing and Roads and Highways, prompting the minority members to greet the announcement with huge uproar.
The ministers picked by the president to form his cabinet are Minister for Trade and Industry, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen; Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta; Defence, Dominic Nitiwul (MP for Bimbilla); the Interior, Ambrose Dery (MP for Nandom); Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchawy (MP for Anya-Sowutuom); Attorney-General and Justice, Gloria Akuffo; Energy, Boakye Agyarko; Education, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh (MP for Manhyia South); Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto and Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu (MP for Dormaa Central).
The rest are Regional Reorganisation and Development, Dan Kwaku Botwe (MP for Okere); Special Development Initiative, Mavis Hawa Koomson (MP for Awutu Senya East); Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei (MP for Old Tafo); Lands and Natural Resources, John Peter Amewu; Sanitation and Water Resources, Joseph Kofi Adda (MP for Navrongo Central); Railway Development, Joe Ghartey (MP for Essikado/Ketan); Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah (MP for Sunyani West); Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah and Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Catherine Afeku (MP for Evalue Ajomoro Gwira).
Immediately after the announcement by the speaker of parliament, the minority members were seen making references to the Constitution and the Standing Orders as to whether the composition of the cabinet released by the president met the constitutional requirement of regional balance.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Bodi, Sampson Ahi, who wanted to comment on the composition of the cabinet and why the majority leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Boosu, who also doubles as the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, was left out of the cabinet sharply attracted the ‘whip’ of the speaker who stopped him in his track. According to the speaker, the composition of the cabinet was not part of the business for the week.
The minority members were not happy that the majority leader, who is also the leader of government business in the House, was left out of the cabinet.
Some minority members also expressed disappointment in the president’s choice of cabinet ministers after parliament had adjourned for the day.
Key Ministries
Speaking to journalists after the announcement was made, the minority chief whip and NDC MP for Asawase, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, wondered why the president could leave out a key ministry like Local Government and Rural Development and include ministers of state whose jurisdiction could as well be covered by other key ministries in the cabinet.
According to Muntaka, the president at least should have included the Minister for Local Government, Hajia Alima Mahama and the Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, in his cabinet for strategic reasons.
He said the Local Government Ministry is the one supervising the activities of the entire metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies which activities impact directly on development at the local level and so leaving out the ministry clearly indicates that the president does not care about development that will be taking place in the various localities.
He also said the promise by the president to make the position of the metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives elective ones in 2018 must not be taken seriously because the omission of the ministry from his cabinet had shown that he is not serious about his promise
The MP for Asawase also indicated that the Senior Minister, who is supposed to coordinate the activities of all the ministries has a lot of experience as former minister in the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) government under President J.A. Kufuor, and that his inclusion would have added some impetus to the cabinet because of the strategic role given to him.
Some other minority members, including the first deputy minority chief whip, Ahmed Ibrahim, have threatened to take the president on, regarding the constitutional requirements of the formation of a cabinet.
“We have just been given the names of the cabinet ministers. I am going to study it very well and look critically at the regional balance requirement and other derivatives and come back to tackle it,” he said.
Welcome
Meanwhile, the speaker, Prof Mike Oquaye, yesterday welcomed the MPs back to parliament from the Easter recess and expressed the hope that they would fully cooperate with him and be punctual to duty to ensure that the stipulated business for the session is fully executed.
He said that during the recess, the Seventh Parliamentary Service Board was inaugurated and went ahead to award a new contract for the partial re-roofing of the Chamber of the house, which was ripped off in a rainstorm during the last meeting.
“The Parliamentary Service Board considered the establishment of the Parliamentary Reforms Assurances Unit, the establishment of a legal department in the Parliamentary Service, the proposed new chamber block for parliament, the audit and recovery of all lands belonging to parliament and facilitating the health needs of MPs and staff of the Parliamentary Service,” the speaker said.
Bills to be considered during this session include National Employment Bill (2017), Ghana Railway Development Bill (2017), Creative Arts Bill (2017), Ghana Cocoa Board (Amendment Bill 2017), Ghana Shipper’s Authority (Amendment Bill 2017), Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (Amendment Bill 2017) and National Road Safety Agency Bill (2017).
By Thomas Fosu Jnr