President-elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his vice Dr. Mahamudu
Bawumia are said to be putting final touches to names of those to be
appointed ministers of state in the incoming New Patriotic Party (NPP)
government.
Some prominent members of the party have been considered for ministerial
positions while a number of them would be nominated as ambassadors and
high commissioners.
According to sources, Nana Akufo-Addo’s government wants to hit the
ground running immediately it’s sworn into office after on January 7,
2017 to tackle the myriad problems facing the country.
DAILY GUIDE has picked signals that Yaw Osafo-Maafo, who is heading the
NPP’s transition team, is likely to be selected as a senior minister
supervising all the ministers, with Dr. Bawumia as head of the economic
management team.
Frema Osei Opare, a former Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayawaso West
Wugon, is likely to become the Chief of Staff overseeing the day-to-day
activities of staff at the presidency in a different mode from the
existing role carved for the position.
In the exhaustive list stumbled on by DAILY GUIDE, Nana Asante Bediatuo,
a private legal practitioner, is tipped to be the Executive Secretary
to the President if Nana Addo takes office.
Those penciled down as likely ministers in the incoming administration
are Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, MP for Anyaa/Sowutuom (Foreign Affairs);
Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, MP for Manhyia South (Health); Ambrose Dery,
MP-elect for Nandom (Interior) and Dominic Nitiwul, MP for Bimbila
(Defence).
Boakye Agyarko, who was the Policy Advisor for the NPP 2016 campaign,
has been penciled for Petroleum and Energy with Kobby Okyere
Darko-Mensah, MP for Takoradi, as his likely deputy, while outgoing MP
for Kwadaso, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, is expected to head the Ministry
of Food and Agriculture. MP-elect for Krowor, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye or
Catherine Abelema Afeku, MP-elect for Evalue Ajomoro Gwira could be
deputy.
Gloria Akuffo is likely to be named the new Attorney General with
Godfred Yeboah Dame – who has been the NPP’s lawyer of late – as her
deputy, while Ken Ofori-Atta of Databank fame, who was the head of the
NPP’s Campaign Finance Committee, as the Minister of Finance and
Economic Planning.
Others who are likely to be selected include Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, MP for
Ablekuma West as Minister of Communications; Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen as
Minister of Trade and Industry and Hajia Alima Mahama, MP-elect for
Nalerigu, as Local Government and Rural Development Minister.
DAILY GUIDE understands that film producer and staunch supporter of the
president-elect, Socrates Sarfo, would be appointed deputy minister for
Tourism and Creative Arts.
There is said to be intense lobbying for positions and the
president-elect is said to have assured the party’s leadership that he
would make appointments based on competence to ensure accelerated
development of the country.
Nana Akufo-Addo has already met the National Executive Committee (NEC)
of the NPP and has asked the party to give him some time to finalize the
list for the party’s consideration.
DAILY GUIDE has also learnt that a number of the appointees in the
previous NPP government under President Kufuor who gathered a lot of
diplomatic experience but have not yet been mentioned for ministerial
and other local appointments, would be made ambassadors or high
commissioners.
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