Parliament has approved the latest ministerial nominees of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo despite a walkout by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament (MPs).
The NDC MPs staged the walkout on Friday, leaving only the majority New Patriotic Party (NPP) to approve 24 nominees including eight ministers of state.
The eight ministers include Mrs Abena Osei-Asare, Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance; Mr Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer, Minister for Tourism, Art and Culture; Madam Lydia Seyram Alhassan, Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources; and Mr Martin Kwaku Adjei-Mensah Korsah, Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development.
The rest are Madam Ophelia Mensah Hayford, Minister for Environmental, Science Technology and Innovation; Ms Darkoa Newman, Minister Designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection; Dr Bernard Okoe-Boye, Minister for Health; and Ms Fatimatu Abubakar, Minister for Information.
Regional Ministers include Mr Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus Glover, for Greater Accra; and Mr Daniel Machator, Oti Region.
Among the approvals are 14 Deputy Ministers who include Dr Benjamin Sekyere Yeboah, for Gender, Children and Social Protection; Mr Sylvester Tetteh, Information; Mr Charles Acheampong, Communications and Digitalisation; and Madam Adelaide Ntim, Health.
Others are Mr Alexander Akwasi Acquah, Health; Mr Vincent Ekow Assafuah, Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development; and Mr John Kobina Abbam Aboah Sanie, Energy.
The rest are Mr Collins Adomako Mensah, also going to the Ministry of Energy; Dr Prince Hamidu Armah, Works and Housing; Professor Kingsley Nyarko, Education; and Dr Festus Awuah Kwofie, Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions; Mr Akwasi Konadu, Lands and Natural Resources; Mr Musah Abdul Aziz Ayaba, Fisheries and Aquaculture Development and Dr Alexander Ampaabeng, for Finance Ministry.
Walkout
Before the walkout, the Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson indicated his side’s opposition to the approval of the ministerial nominees.
According to him, the nation’s ongoing economic challenges, including an employment crisis, food insecurity, erratic power outages, and a severe debt crisis due to what he described as the government’s reckless borrowing to finance construction projects were the reasons the minority could not support the approval of more ministers of state.
Dr. Forson said government was duty bound to signal to the people of Ghana and the investment community that it was ready and willing to do things differently to restore confidence in the Ghanaian economy.
He urged the President to downsize his government to show a commitment to addressing the economic issues.
Majority leader’s argument
Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business Mr. Alexander Afenyo-Markin noted that the NDC Minority had participated in the committee-level approval process of the ministerial nominees.
He pointed out that the committee’s report recommending the approval of the nominees had been by consensus.
Mr. Afenyo-Marking was however surprised at the last-minute turn by the minority when the caucus served notice it did not want to be part of the approval and that the report should be amended to reflect the majority decision.
He emphasised that the boycott could not stop the government from conducting business and for the majority to approve the Ministers for them to move to the various ministries to deliver what was expected of them for the benefit of the people of Ghana.
Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin congratulated the approved ministers and reminded them of their accountability to both the President and Parliament.
