Akufo-Addo Reshuffles Two Deputy Ministers And Nominates Substantive Appointees Over Trade, Agric Ministries

The President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced some reshuffles to some of his cabinet ministers.

He undertook the reshuffle in two ministries and appointed substantive Ministers over Ministries which were handled by other Ministers.

President Akufo-Addo resisted calls to undertake Ministerial reshuffles last year asserting that all his Ministers were outstanding in their performance.

No substantive Minister was affected by the President’s reshuffle: only deputy ministers- Deputy Trade Minister and Deputy Minister for Energy- were hit by the shakeup.

Empty Spots
The Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, and the spot of the Minister of State for the Finance Minister were without substantive heads.

It can be recalled that the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture were left in the care of Lands Minister Samuel Abu Jinapor and Fisheries Minister Mavis Hawa Koomson respectively after Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen and Owusu Afriyie Akoto respectively resigned in January 2023 to focus on the Presidential ambitions.

The Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs was added up to Dan Botwe- Minister for Local Government- after Ebenezer Kojo Kum submitted his resignation letter to the President on Friday, February 2, 2022.

In November 2022, the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen was sacked by the President for allegedly engaging in influence peddling.

These developments rendered their spots somehow vacant.

Nominees
In all, seven people have been nominated by the President pending Parliamentary approval.

If approved by Parliament, the Ministry of Trade and Industry will be handled by Hon Kobina Tahiru Hammond; the Ministry of Food and Agriculture by Hon Bryan Acheampong and; the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs by Hon Stephen Asamoah Boateng.

Hon Mohammed Anim Adam has been nominated as Minister of State for the Finance Ministry; Hon Osei Bonsu Amoah as Minister of State for the Local Government and Decentralisation; Hon Herbert Krapah as Deputy Minister for Energy and; Hon Dr Stephen Amoah as the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry.

The nominees will be subjected to vetting by the Appointment Committee of Parliament.

Defence of Ministers
In August 2022, President Akufo-Addo defended his ministers against calls for ministerial reshuffling by a section of the Ghanaian populace.

According to him, the majority of the ministers have done outstandingly well in their line of duties and therefore need not to be reassigned to new positions.

“That is a matter that I will take in an appropriate way. Several of the people who are responsible for assisting me in steering the country out of the difficulty we inherited and the difficulties that have subsequently come are still in place. And many of them have done outstanding work. Their output has been considerable and that is what I look at.”

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini