The President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the morning of yesterday, Wednesday, February 14 2024 made his first major ministerial reshuffling to his executive since he assumed power in 2017 and was subsequently reelected in 2020.
The move by President Akufo-Addo affected about ten cabinet ministers, 12 ministers of state, and two regional ministers among a host of several Deputy Ministers.
Key among the various cabinet Ministers who were relieved from their positions as a result of President Akufo-Addo’s ministerial reshuffling included the former Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori Atta, former Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu, former Minister of Roads and Highways, Honorable Kwesi Amoako Atta, and former Minister of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development among others.
The President’s move also saw some Ministers including the former Information Minister, Honorable Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, former Works and Housing Minister, Francis Asenso Boakye, former Minister of State, Honorable Mohammed Amin Adam, and the former Greater Accra Regional Minister Honorable Henry Quartey re-assigned to other Ministries with immediate effect.
Again, the new set of ministers that were appointed by President Akufo-Addo included Honourable Darkoa Newman, the Minister designated to the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Bernard Okoe-Boye, the Minister designated to the Ministry of Health, and Honorable Martin Adje-Mensah Korsah, the Minister designated to the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development and host of others.
While the ruling New Patriotic Party has lauded President Akufo-Addo’s latest reshuffle and further argued that the move by the President affirms his commitment to governance that listens and acts in the best interests of the people, the opposition National Democratic Congress, on the other hand, has vehemently opposed the move and described the move as mere political maneuvering intended to deceive Ghanaians.
The General Secretary of the opposition party, Honorable Fifi Fiavi Kwetey accused the government of perpetuating a culture of ‘profligacy’ and ‘cronyism’, describing the changes as nothing more than an ‘illusion of change’.
Meanwhile, the Founding President of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Franklin Cudjoe in his views stated that the move by the President would not bring about any substantial changes that many Ghanaians had hoped for.
Mr Cudjoe noted that out of the nine new ministerial nominees made by President Akufo-Addo, a significant six are set to contest in the upcoming elections as Members of Parliament while all the new deputy ministers nominees are equally in the race to enter parliament.
According to Mr Cudjoe, the trend raises questions about the immediate focus and commitment such officials will have towards their ministerial duties upon assumption of office.
“They will start work somewhere in Mid or late March 2024 after vetting. In 6 months, in August, they will start campaigning to retain their seats if not earlier, in the December elections. What real work would they have done to add value to the economy?”
Franklin Cudjoe
Moreover, it is important to note that President Akufo-Addo’s reshuffling did not result in the reduction of a large number of his government with almost 86 ministers which several Ghanaians have expressed criticisms against.
Many had anticipated a more significant streamlining of the government structure through the merger and realignment of some ministries.
It is therefore without doubt, that President Akufo-Addo’s last-minute reshuffle, even though important to governance and democracy falls short of the transformative measures many had anticipated.
The inclusion of many parliamentary candidates in key positions and the absence of a significant reduction in ministerial numbers particularly cast doubt on the potential impact of his reshuffle.
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