The Majority leader in Parliament and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has said he would actively participate in cabinet meetings in spite of his exclusion from the cabinet list by the President.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday, officially submitted the names of 19 persons to Parliament to form his Cabinet in fulfilment of Article 76 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana. The Cabinet’s mandate is to assist the president to in policy formulation.
The names of the 19 Cabinet ministers include Mr Alan Kyeremanten, Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Finance, Mr Dominic Nitiwul, Minister of Defence, Mr Ambrose Dery, Minister of the Interior, and Mr Boakye Agyarko, Minister of Energy.
The rest are Ms Gloria Akuffo, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister of Agriculture, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Education and Mr Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, Minister of Health.
Others are Dr Anthony Akoto-Osei, Minister of Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr Dan Kweku Botwe, Minister of Regional Reorganisation and Development, Mr John Peter Amewu, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Joseph Kofi Adda, Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources and Mr Joe Ghartey, Minister of Railway Development.
The remaining are Mr Ignatius Bafuor Awuah, Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Kweku Ofori Asiamah, Minister of Transport, Mrs Catherine Afeku, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts and Mrs Mavis Hawa Koomson, Minister for Special Development Initiative.
Some members of Parliament have questioned the exclusion of the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs from the list.
Bode MP, Sampson Ahi, on the floor of the house registered his displeasure, arguing the President’s decision suggests the Affairs of the Legislature is not a priority to him.
However in an interview with Starr FM, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu defended the cabinet list, insisting he does not need to make the list to partake in cabinet meetings.
“Well, I’m invited, I’m always there and the last two meetings when I wasn’t there the President was not happy. Because I had to do some programs outside, and because I skipped two, he insisted that the third one I should be there. I was there and I gave some report. So that’s how it is,†he stated.
He added: “So please, don’t have any inhibitions, don’t have any jitters, it is from each according to his worth, according to his competenceâ€.
Meanwhile some of the major portfolios excluded from Nana Addo’s cabinet include Communications Ministry headed by Ursula Owusu Ekufful, Ministry of Works and Housing headed by Atta Akyea, Local Government and Rural Development with Hajia Alima Mahama as Minister. Prof. Frimpong Boateng’s Ministry of Science and Technology, Kwesi Amoako-Atta’s Ministry of Road and highways, Senior Minister Yaw Osafo Maafo and National Security Ministry led by Kan Dapaah.