Freda Prempeh
President Akufo-Addo has appointed the Minister of State at the Presidency and Member of Parliament for Tano North, Freda Prempeh to take over as the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources.
In a statement issued and signed by the Director of Communications at the Office of the President, Eugene Arhin said Freda Prempeh takes over from Madam Cecilia Dapaah following her resignation and acceptance by the President on Saturday, July 22, 2023.
“The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has appointed the Minister of State at the Presidency and Member of Parliament for Tano North, Hon. Freda Prempeh as the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources. She takes over from Hon. Cecilia Abena Dapaah whose letter of resignation dated Saturday, July 22, 2023, was accepted by the President on Saturday, July 22, 2023,” it added.
Ms. Prempeh replaces Madam Cecilia Dapaah who resigned from her position as the sector minister following a public outcry over a burglary in her house involving a million dollars, several thousands of other foreign currencies and Ghana cedis.
The former minister’s resignation follows the report of foreign currencies allegedly stolen by her house helps at her residence.
In her resignation letter addressed to the President, Madam Dapaah said she decided to step down because she “did not want this matter to become a preoccupation of government and a hindrance to the work of government at such a crucial time.”
It emerged in the public on Friday, July 21, 2023 that two house helps of the minister were facing charges before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly stealing an amount of $1 million, €300,000, and millions of Ghanaian cedis at the former minister’s residence at Abelenkpe in Accra on October 2022.
Meanwhile, Cecilia Dapaah on Saturday, July 22, 2023, in a statement, insisted however that there were inaccuracies in the figures available to the public and assured “to cooperate fully with all state agencies to enable them fully establish the facts. I have no doubt whatsoever that at the end of the processes, it will be fully established that I have conducted myself with integrity during my period in public service and I will be fully exonerated from all the allegations that have filled the public domain in the past 24 hours.”
Until her appointment, Freda Prempeh was a Minister of State at the Presidency.
She has also served in other capacities as Deputy Minister of Works and Housing, Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection among others.
The statement further disclosed that the President, in consultation with the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Roads and Highways, have also reassigned two other ministers from the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration respectively.
“President Akufo-Addo in consultation with the Ministers for Foreign Affairs, and Regional Integration and Roads and Highways, respectively has also appointed the Deputy Minister for Roads and Highways and Member of Parliament for Afigya Sekyere East, Hon. Mavis Nkansah Boadu as Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, and Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and Member of Parliament for Tatale/Sanguli, Hon. Thomas Mbomba as Deputy Minister for Roads and Highways,” it added.
By Charles Takyi Boadu & Ebenezer K. Amponsah