President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday swore in three ministers, two ministers of state and a deputy minister at the Jubilee House in Accra, saying that although they were joining the government 19 months to the end of its tenure, there was still enough time for them to make a difference and significant contributions.
He said their various competencies, experiences and talents made that distinctly possible.
The ministers are the Minister of Trade and Industry, Kobina Tahir Hammond; the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, and the Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Stephen Asamoah Boateng.
The rest are the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam; the Minister of State at the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Osei Bonsu Amoah, and the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Stephen Amoah.
They took the oaths of Office, Secrecy and Allegiance administered by the President, who also gave each of them the scroll of office.
Hard work
President Akufo-Addo said the country would soon reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to set the stage for the strong recovery of the economy.
“All of us have a duty to help make sure we get back to the years of high economic growth which characterised the years before the outbreak of the COVID-19 and the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” he added.
He reminded the new appointees that the quality of integrity which would permeate their work was extremely important, and that they should remember at all times the solemn commitment the New Patriotic Party (NPP) membership had made collectively and individually to serve the Ghanaian people honestly and competently.
He said they had been called to the public appointments to provide public service, not to promote their personal gains.
The President also reminded them to file their asset declarations promptly and remain above reproach in their public lives.
He further noted that as members of the Executive, what they did would determine the fate and fortunes of the NPP in the upcoming and succeeding decades.
He explained that the success of their work would be seen in the hard work they brought to bear and indicated that they had been carefully chosen for their portfolios based on their educational and professional backgrounds, life experiences and characters.
President Akufo-Addo described their appointment as an opportunity to serve their country in an elevated capacity, and that they must seize the opportunity with humility and determination and perform, guided always by the Almighty God.
Gratitude
Mr Asamoah Boateng, on behalf of the group, thanked the President for the honour done them and gave an assurance that they would work hard to help the government achieve its aim of developing the country.
