Parliament has approved seven ministerial nominees of President John Dramani Mahama by consensus.
The approval followed a series of deliberations, with the majority of the nominees being endorsed smoothly.
The confirmed nominees include Emmanuel Kwadwo-Agyekum, Minister of State, Special Initiatives; Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, Minister for Greater Accra Region; Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, Minister for Works, Housing, and Water Resources; and Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources. The rest are Tia Ibrahim, Minister for North East Region; Dr. Frank Amoakohene, Minister for the Ashanti Region; and Akamugri Atanga Donatus, Minister for the Upper East Region.
However, the appointment of Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah as Minister for Lands and Natural Resources sparked contentious debates.
These discussions centered on concerns raised by the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, regarding Mr. Buah’s failure to retract or apologize for comments made about former President Akufo-Addo’s final State of the Nation Address.
The Minority Leader noted that there had been an internal directive from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) pointing to these concerns, which, in his view, had yet to be adequately addressed.
Despite these concerns, the nominee was approved after he reportedly did the needful thing, with members from both sides of the House ultimately agreeing to his appointment.
The rest of the nominees, including Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo for the Greater Accra Region and Mr. Kenneth Gilbert Adjei for Works, Housing, and Water Resources, were approved without opposition. Their appointments were widely supported across both sides of the House.
Similarly, nominees for the regional ministerial positions — Mr. Tia Ibrahim for North East, Dr. Frank Amoakohene for Ashanti, and Mr. Akamugri Atanga Donatus for Upper East — were approved with minimal debate, signaling broad support for the regional leadership appointments.
This development comes as President Mahama’s government continues to solidify its cabinet in preparation for the work ahead.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House