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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Wednesday nominated 23 ministers of state and their deputies to take over from those who have been reassigned or relieved of their duties, chief among whom are the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, and the Greater Accra Minister, Henry Quartey.
He subsequently wrote to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, hoping that "Parliament will, once again, on a bi-partisan basis, expedite the approval of the nominees, so they can join the government forthwith and assist in the delivery of his mandate for his second term in office."
The Speaker has since referred the list of nominees to the Appointments Committee of Parliament for consideration and approval.
Those nominated as ministers of state include a former Deputy Minister of Health and Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr Bernard Okoe Boye.
He takes over from 68-year-old Kwaku Agyemang Manu, Member of Parliament for Dormaa Central, who, like the others, had not tasted a reshuffle in the past seven years.
The MP for Mfantseman, Ophelia Mensah Hayford, is for Environment, Science and Technology.
She takes over from Dr Kwaku Afriyie.
A former Deputy Minister of Information, Fatimatu Abubakar, is supposed to fill the shoes of her boss, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, who has been reassigned to the Ministry of Works and Housing, while 39-year-old newcomer, Dakoa Newman, goes to the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.
Another new entrant, Lydia Seyram Alhassan, who is the Second Deputy Majority Chief Whip, has been nominated for the Sanitation and Water Resources Ministry and Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, a former Deputy Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, has been nominated as substantive minister for the same portfolio.
The Deputy Minister of Energy, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, has been elevated from the Energy Ministry to the position of a substantive Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, while a former Deputy Minister of Transport, Titus Glover, takes over from the Greater Accra Minister, Henry Quartey, who has been reassigned to the Interior Ministry.
The Assistant Registrar of the Ghana Institute of Journalism, Daniel Machator, a minister designate for the Oti Region, completes the ministers’ list.
The MP for Bortianor-Ngleshie Amamfro, Sylvester Tetteh, is Deputy Minister nominee for Information, while the MP for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, is the Deputy Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development.
The rest of the deputy minister nominees are Charles Acheampong, Communications and Digitalisation; Adelaide Ntim (Health), Alexander Akwasi Acquah (Works and Housing); Dr Prince Hamidu Armah (Lands and Natural Resources); Akwasi Konadu and Musah Abdul Aziz Ayaba (Fisheries and Aquaculture Development); John Kobina Sanie and Collins Adomako Mensah (Energy); Prof. Kingsley Nyarko (Education); Festus Awuah Kwofie (Employment and Labour Relations); and Benjamin Sekyere Yeboah (Gender, Children and Social Protection).
The President also reassigned Mohammed Amin Adam to the Finance Ministry; Francis Asenso-Boakye, Roads and Highways, and Ambrose Dery, Minister of State, Office of the President.
Abdulai Abanga, deputy minister of Works and Housing, heads to the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development as a Deputy Minister of State.
The ministers who lost their portfolios with immediate effect are Ken Ofori-Atta (Finance); Kwaku Agyeman Manu (Health); Dr Kwaku Afriyie (Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation); Kwasi Amoako-Atta (Roads and Highways); Lariba Abudu (Gender, Children and Social Protection); Dan Botwe (Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development); Freda Prempeh (Sanitation and Water Resources); Ibrahim Mohammed Awal (Tourism, Arts and Culture); and Joseph Makubu (Oti Region).
The deputy ministers who have been relieved of their duties are Collins Ntim Aboagye (Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development); Ama Pomaa Boateng (Deputy Minister for Communications and Digitalisation); Tina Mensah (Health); Mohammed Asei Seini (Health); Benito Owusu Bio (Lands and Natural Resources); Moses Anim (Fisheries and Aquaculture Development); William Owuraku Aidoo (Energy), Gifty Twum Ampofo (Education), and Bright Wireko-Brobbey (Employment and Labour Relations).
