President Akufo-Addo seems to be enjoying the cordial working relations with the Council of State.
The Council of State is enjoined by Article 89 of the Constitution to counsel the President in the performance of his functions.
According to the Constitution, the Council must consider and advise the President or any other authority in respect of any appointment which is required by the constitution or any other law to be made in accordance with the advice of or in consultation with the Council.
The council, upon request or on its volition, can consider and make recommendations on any matter being considered by the President, a Minister of State or any other authority established by the Constitution.
When the Council called on the President at the Jubilee House yesterday to present its annual report, which is the first of its kind under his term, he expressed happiness with its work.
Reason
He commended them for the work done so far, especially the expeditious way in which they dealt with the appointments. President Akufo-Addo said members of Council of State never sacrificed the thoroughness required to examine details of the nominees, some of whom he was advised against.
He said the commitment of the Council to the production of a transparent annual report was comforting to the people of Ghana given their level of dedication to duty.
“This is indeed a body that has come to work and not just take glory in its elevated status, especially when most of them are retirees; but that has not been what they have done. It is very refreshing to see the attitude with which they have been undertaking their responsibilities and the people of Ghana would know their work when they come across it,” he said.
He said, “I think I’m a happy President to have the kind of relationship that I have with the Council.”
Assurance
Chairman of the Council of State, Nana Otuo Siriboe II, on his part, assured Ghanaians that the Council would neither be a rubber stamp body nor a moribund institution, which has no relevance to the progress of the country.
He said during the period under review, the Council was compelled by the exigencies of its work to meet not less than 73 times in plenary, committee and emergency sessions to discharge its responsibilities even though Article 92 of the Constitution requires that the Council meets at least four times in a given year.
In the year under review, the Council held two meetings with the President, with the first coming on the heels of its visit to some illegal mining sites in the Eastern Region on June 20, 2017.
After the second meeting on August 15, 2017, the council unanimously stated that demand for the creation of new regions in the country was substantial and therefore advised President Akufo-Addo to appoint a Commission of Inquiry to undertake the processes stipulated by the 1992 Constitution.
The Council also examined and approved appointments to 128 Boards of state institutions, universities and the judiciary.
Members of the Council have decided to take a break and resume in October 2018.
It has therefore delegated the Appointments and House Affairs Committee (AHAC) of the Council to consider appointments forwarded by the presidency during the period of recess.
AHAC has since been given the plenipotentiary powers to consider such appointments.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent