Member of Parliament for Juaboso, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has revealed that President Akufo-Addo’s appointment of Ken Ofori-Atta as caretaker for the Trade and Industry Ministry does not bode well for the country.

According to him, his appointment could be detrimental to the Ministry. He indicated that Mr Ofori-Atta is a “greedy person” and would amass the gains made in the sector to himself.

Mr Akandoh due to this, requested Ghanaians to reject the appointment of the finance minister as caretaker of the trades ministry.

“There are a lot of reasons why this Finance Minister can be described as selfish and greedy. Go and find out the faces behind the Enterprise Insurance Company and go and look out for the number of contracts they have gotten from the Finance Ministry. Go and find out how Databank has suddenly become a major player in borrowing in this country.”
Kwabena Mintah Akandoh

Mr Akandoh questioned that if Mr Ofori-Atta is not a “greedy person and selfish, why is he still in office when his own Members of Parliament are saying he should resign?”

The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Health Committee established that Ken Ofori-Atta does not have the requisite competence needed for the management of such a ministry.

“If he thinks that he is offering us something good, can’t he resign if he has a conscience?… When incompetence and arrogance meet, it becomes very dangerous. One may be incompetent and is ready to learn and listen, and it may be well for us. But once the person is arrogant and incompetent, it is very dangerous for our country and that is where we find ourselves now.”
Kwabena Mintah Akandoh

On January 6, 2023, President Akufo-Addo appointed the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, as Caretaker Minister for the Trade and Industry Ministry following the resignation of Alan Kyerematen.

Subsequently, a press statement from the Presidency highlighted that the President has asked the Minister for Finance to act as caretaker minister at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, until a substantive appointment is made.

Following his appointment, Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, expressed concern over the appointment of the finance minister as caretaker of the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

North Tongu MP expresses concern over appointment of finance minister

According to the legislator, fresh Cathedral documents in his possession reveal that Enterprise Insurance, a company Ken Ofori-Atta is “intimately associated with and where his wife serves as a director was granted a sweetheart deal to insure” the entire cathedral construction site. This, Mr Ablakwa believes, is a cause for worry.

Taking to his social media handle on Friday, January 6, 2023, Mr Ablakwa stated that with Ofori-Atta’s new appointment, only God can save the Trade Ministry.

The resignation of the former trades minister caused some surprise among the public considering his performance as a minister. However, sources revealed that his resignation was to enable him to concentrate on his bid to lead the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as its flag bearer for the 2024 presidential election.

Per the NPP’s regulations, ministers who intend to contest the presidential primary are to step down to concentrate on their campaigns so as not to interfere with the work of government.

Hopeson Yaovi Adorye, a vocal advocate of the former Minister for Trade and Industry, reacting to reports on the resignation of the minister shared a flier on Facebook describing Mr Kyerematen as the “next President”.

President Akufo-Addo following Mr Kyerematen’s resignation, thanked him for his services to his government and to the country and wished him well in his future endeavors. The former minister’s tenure as the Minister of Trade and Industry in President Akufo-Addo’s government spans from 2017 to January 2023.