Ghana’s President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has confirmed Ken Ofori-Atta as the Finance Minister-designate to manage the country’s economy. He also named other key ministers to steer the affairs of the ministries.
The president settled on two other persons who are expected to help Mr Ofori-Atta to run the ministry as well as his economic management team.
Ken Ofori-Atta who an Investment banker and co-founder of Databank, is expected to lead the team at the finance ministry to be supported by Member of Parliament (MP) for Obuasi West, economist, and civil engineer, Kweku Kwarteng.
Mr Kwarteng holds a Bachelor of Science (Bsc) in Civil Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and MA in Economic Policy Management. He also worked as government spokesperson on finance from 2005-2008.
While Harvard Business school-trained investment banker, Charles Adu Boahene is expected to complete the team. The Investment Banker, is the son of the late politician, Professor Albert Adu Boahene.
Mr Adu-Boahene is currently the Managing Partner of an investment firm, Black Star Advisors and Managing Director of Primrose Properties.
He also worked as Vice President of US finance group, JP Morgan from 2001 to 2006 and Director at Standard Chartered from 2006 to 2007.
Mr Adu-Boahene also worked as Investment Officer Emerging Market Partnership for one year as Senior analyst at Solomon Smith Barnely.
He is expected to act as the link between parliament and the Ministry when it comes to pushing the necessary finance laws, especially as the NPP is planning to abolish some taxes to help reduce the cost burden on businesses.
Vice President Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, is expected to head the team, and will play an active role in planning the country’s economic policies.
Other members of the team will include the Finance Ministers, Trade Minister, Alan Kyeremanteng and the person who will be nominated as Agric Minister.
Dr Anthony Akoto Osei is expected to be given a ministerial position, possibly responsible he would be for Economic planning.
President Akufo-Addo says he is releasing only 13 names today. A second and third batch will be released on Thursday. He says the first list has been sent to Parliament.
He says Yaw Osafo Marfo will be his senior minister, confirming speculations. He described him as the most successful Finance minister in Ghana.
‘He took us into HIPC and got us out of HIPC’, he praises Osafo Marfo as he recounts his vast experience in the former NPP government. He wants his senoir minister to help turn the economy around.
He moves on to National Security and explains the postion is to create an office that will answer to Parliament and provide accountability for the conduct of national security. Albert Kan-Dapaah is his pick. He was Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament.
He won the Afigya-Sekyere seat at the 1996 parliamentary election and has held his seat in the two subsequent parliamentary elections in 2000 and 2004.
Albert Kan-Dapaah became Minister for Energy in the Kufuour government after the NPP won power in the 2000 elections. During the April 2003 cabinet reshuffle, he became the Minister for Communications and Technology. He became the Minister for Interior during Kufuor’s second term.
Energy minister – Boakye Agyarko
Akufo-Addo says he wants somebody who will make ‘dumsor’, ‘a thing permanently of the past’. The 2012 NPP Campaign Manager, Boakye Agyarko is his pick. He is former Bank of New York Governor
Defence minister – Dominic Bingab Nitiwul
Akufo-Addo recalls meeting Dominic Nitiwul for the first time when he was elected Bimbilla MP. He had a baby-face, he says of the young politician. He entered Parliament in 2002 at the age of 25 years and was the youngest at the time.
He was a member of five committees in Parliament – Appointments, Business, Committee of Selections, Finance, Roads and Transport.
Interior minister – Ambrose Derry
‘I believe he is just the right man to provide the leadership of the interior ministry’, he says. He wants a lawyer with an understanding of security and who can balance the needs of the ministry and the demands of the public.
Attorney-General – Gloria Akufo
‘She has very strong views, very ethical and she was the former deputy Attorney-General’, Akufo-Addo says and adds she was his deputy when he was at the Attorney-General’s Department under the Kufuor government.
At the time of her appointment, she was the first-ever female Deputy Attorney-General. Akufo-Addo describes her new job as demanding and challenging.
Education ministry – Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh
He has very independent views. He is very familiar with areas like health, education. He will be in charge of making the NPP’s electoral promise of free Senior High School education a reality.
He was the minority spokesman on health in parliament. ‘People would have thought that as a doctor he should go to Health. But that is not my view’ he says
He settles on Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh whom he describes as a vocal Manhyia South MP.
Health Ministry – Kwaku Agyemang Manu
MP for Dormaa Central was the chairman of the Public Account Committee in the last Parliament.
African Eye Report
