President Akufo-Addo
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday named his final squad of ministerial nominees with the announcement of some new ministers-designate responsible for special projects and initiatives, bringing the total number of ministers to 36.
Ministers of the new portfolios will be operating from the presidency. They are Planning, Special Development Initiatives, Inner City and Zongo Development and Business Development.
Nominees
The nominees are Professor George Gyan Baffour (Planning), Hawa Koomson (Special Development Initiatives), Boniface Abubakar Saddique (Inner City and Zongo Development) and Mohammed Awal (Business Development).
The rest who have been designed for substantive Ministers are Mustapha Hamid (Information), Isaac Asiamah (Youth and Sports), Elizabeth Naa Afoley Quaye (Fisheries and Aquaculture), Kofi Dzamesi (Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs), Cecilia Abena Dapaah (Aviation) and Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu (Parliamentary Affairs).
It brings to 36 the number of persons so far nominated for various ministerial positions.
Planning
The 65-year-old former deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Prof George Gyan-Baffour, who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wenchi, is to head National Planning, carved out of the Ministry of Finance.
He is a former Director General of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) which saw the preparation of the first Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (2003-2005) Paper.
Prof Gyan-Baffour is also credited for introducing the first Monitoring and Evaluation mechanism for assessing the progress of national development called the Annual Progress Report, which is still the monitoring and evaluation tool of the national development agenda of Ghana.
Tourism
The 49-year-old MP for Evalue-Gwira-Ajomoro, Catherine Afeku, goes to the Tourism and Creative Arts Ministry if approved by parliament. She possesses a Bachelor of Science and Master’s Degrees in Business Administration.
She once worked with the World Bank, Stico Petroleum in Kenya as a Business Development Consultant and bilingual instructor at the Inlingua School of Languages, Brescia, Italy. Between 2006 and 2008, she was the NPP government spokesperson on infrastructure.
She is married with 3 children.
Special Development Initiatives
MP for Awutu Senya East, Mavis Hawa Koomson, 51, will also get her first appointment in government as Minister of Special Development Initiatives if given the nod by parliament.
She holds a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Education, a Postgraduate Certificate in Public Administration from GIMPA and is due to obtain a Master’s degree in Public Administration, with specialization in International Relations and Diplomacy, after the completion of the programme in January 2017.
She has been a Member of Parliament for the Awutu Senya East Constituency from 2012 to date.
She is married with 3 children.
Business Development
Former Managing Director of Graphic Group of Communications, Awal Mohammed, 55, would also get the opportunity to serve in the Akufo-Addo-led NPP administration as Business Development Minister, if cleared by the House.
He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Marble Communications Group Limited, publishers of The Finder newspaper.
Information
The man who has been spokesman for Nana Akufo-Addo, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, 45, has eventually gotten appointed as Minister of Information and at the same time spokesman for the president.
He holds a Diploma in Education, Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religious Studies and a Master of Philosophy Degree, also in Religious Studies – all from the University of Cape Coast.
Hamid is currently a senior lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Cape Coast, handling areas of Islam & Gender and Political Thought in Islam.
Prior to taking up the teaching job, he worked in the media as editor of the High Street Journal, editor of the Statesman newspaper, news editor at the then Choice FM and Strategy Planning Manager at Media Majique & Research Systems.
Youth & Sports
The relatively young four-time MP for Atwima-Mponua, Isaac Kwame Asiamah, 42, takes over as the next Minister of Youth and Sports if he sails through the vetting process.
He is a product of the University of Ghana, Legon, with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Resource Development, Political Science and also holds an Executive Masters in Governance and Leadership.
Chieftaincy & Religious Affairs
Former Volta Regional Minister under the previous NPP administration, Kofi Dzamesi, has been nominated as Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.
The 57-year-old politician has a first degree in Engineering and holds a diploma in Marketing.
He was the Chairperson of the NPP Campaign Sector Committee on Chieftaincy.
Aviation
Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, 62, would be responsible for the aviation industry when given the nod by parliament.
She is touted as a leadership development specialist and was Deputy Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing under President Kufuor’s government from 2005 to 2006, and a Minister of State from 2007 to 2008. She served as MP for Bantama.
Inner City & Zongo Development
The new MP for Madina, Boniface Abubakar Siddique, 56, has been honoured with the privilege of championing the development of Zongo communities as promised by President Akufo-Addo and the NPP during the 2016 electioneering campaign.
He worked in the Ministry of Finance for 14 years as an Economic Officer.
He was two-time MP for Salaga from 2001 to 2009 and also served as Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, became Minister for Manpower, Youth and Employment and Northern Regional Minister under the same erstwhile NPP administration
Fisheries & Aquaculture
A new entrant to parliament has been honoured to serve under Nana Addo’s government. She is 47-year-old Elizabeth Naa Afoley Quaye, MP for Krowor. Her ministry is Fisheries and Aquaculture.
She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agribusiness from the Central University College and National Diploma in General Agriculture from the University of Ghana, alongside a certificate in General Agriculture from the Kwadaso Agricultural College.
She is married with 4 children.
Parliamentary Affairs
Majority leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has also been named Minister-designate for Parliamentary Affairs.
The 59-year-old urban planner has been MP for Suame Constituency since 1997, and has held several positions in the House, including Secretary to the Minority Caucus (1997-2000); Deputy Majority Whip (2001-2002); Majority Chief Whip (2002-2007); Deputy Majority Leader (2007- 2008) and a Minister of State (Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs from 2007 to 2008).
The list of the nominees has since been submitted to the Speaker of Parliament for consideration when parliament resumes from recess on January 24.
The president is also set to release the list of nominees for regional ministerial positions sometime next week.
From Charles Takyi-Boadu, Flagstaff House