President John Dramani Mahama has sworn in Mahama Ayariga and Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings as Ministers of State, filling two portfolios that have stood without substantive heads since a military helicopter crash killed their occupants a year ago.
The ceremony took place at Jubilee House in Accra on Saturday morning, two days after Parliament approved both nominations. The appointments were made under Article 78(1) of the 1992 Constitution, which requires prior parliamentary approval for ministerial appointments.
Hon. Mahama Ayariga, Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, takes Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, while Agyeman-Rawlings, MP for Klottey-Korle, takes Environment, Science and Technology.
Three Oaths and an Instrument of Appointment
Both ministers swore the Oath of Allegiance, the Oath of Minister of State and the Oath of Secrecy, administered by the President in that order. The first bound them to bear true faith and allegiance to the Republic, uphold its sovereignty and integrity, and preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.
The second committed them to serve the Republic in the office of Minister of State and to give their counsel freely, when required, for the good management of public affairs. The third bound them not to communicate or reveal any matter coming to their knowledge in the discharge of official duties, except as required by those duties or as specially permitted by law.
The President then presented each minister with an instrument of appointment, after which both signed the oath book. The Vice President, the Chief of Staff, serving Ministers of State, senior government officials, Members of Parliament, traditional rulers, queen mothers, religious leaders and family members attended.
President Mahama opened his address by rejecting any reading of the morning as a ceremonial routine. The oaths were not mere formalities, he said, but solemn commitments to serve Ghanaians with integrity, humility, fairness and fidelity to the Constitution.
“Public office is a privilege and not a right,” he told the gathering, describing it as demanding of trust and requiring those who hold it to place the national interest above personal convenience, political consideration and sectional interest. He framed both ministries as central to the wellbeing of Ghanaians and to the country’s sustainable development.
Two Portfolios the President Wants Working as One
Having set out separate charges to each minister, President Mahama pressed a point about how the two offices should relate to each other. Their portfolios differ, he said, but their mandates are closely connected.
Environmental protection ultimately takes place within communities, he argued, and sanitation, land use planning, waste management, climate resilience and the protection of natural resources all require the two ministries to work together rather than in parallel.
He noted that the pair have served together in Parliament for years and that their working relationship is good, and said he expects them to draw on it. He extended the same instruction to the wider government.
“Government succeeds when its institutions collaborate, not when ministries operate as isolated entities,” he said, adding that traditional leaders, religious bodies, district assemblies, scientists, civil society organisations and local communities should all be treated as partners.
The President closed with a reminder that Ghanaians expect results, integrity, accessibility and accountability, and urged both ministers to listen to professional advice, respect the institutions they lead, manage public resources prudently and ensure every decision they take can withstand tests of legality, fairness and public interest.
Ayariga Responds for Both Ministers
Speaking on behalf of himself and his colleague, Mahama Ayariga thanked the President for the confidence placed in them and said they had listened carefully to what was expected of them and how the President wanted the assignments executed.
He committed both ministers to delivering the commitments President Mahama made to Ghanaians in the reset promise of the 2024 campaign, and said the President’s style of governance and of relating to ordinary citizens would guide their conduct in office.
He assured the President that Ghana’s cities, municipalities, metropolises, districts, zones and units would be better governed, and that he and Agyeman-Rawlings would surmount what is considered insurmountable in restoring the environment. He undertook that they would not disappoint.
Filling the Gap Left by the August 2025 Crash
Both portfolios trace back to the Ghana Armed Forces helicopter crash of 6 August 2025, which killed eight people including Defence Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah and Environment, Science and Technology Minister Dr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed.
President Mahama announced the reshuffle that fills the resulting gaps on 7 August this year, almost exactly a year after the crash. Alongside these two nominations, he reassigned Kenneth Gilbert Adjei to Defence and moved Ahmed Ibrahim from Local Government to Works, Housing and Water Resources.
Parliament vetted both nominees on Thursday, 27 August, after a rescheduling from the Tuesday, and approved them the same day on the report of the Appointments Committee chaired by First Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor. Speaker Alban Bagbin congratulated the pair and told Mahama Ayariga in particular that he had a very tall mountain to climb.
Three Supreme Court appointees approved during the same emergency sitting, Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko Essah, Justice Edward Amoako Asante and private legal practitioner Anthony Forson Jnr, were also scheduled to be sworn in at Jubilee House on Saturday.
Their approval followed a contentious vetting during which the Minority Caucus walked out of the Appointments Committee over objections it had raised.
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