Minority questions exclusions in cabinet appointments.

The Minority Chief Whip in Parliament, has questioned some exclusions in the cabinet appointments of President Akufo-Addo.

Muhammed Muntaka Mubarak says the decision to leave out the Local Government and Rural Development Minister, and the Senior Minister from his Cabinet, indicates the portfolios were not considered important areas by the President.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday 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.

Muntaka Mubarak expressed particular concern about the absence of the Local Government and Rural Development Minister, Hajia Alima Mahama, given the Akufo-Addo administration’s pledge to superintend the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives.

“You look at the issue of local development and the way it cuts across, and they don’t find representation in the Cabinet. They [Senior and Local Government Ministers] may be attending as participants, but it is surprising that for the first time, you don’t have the Local Government minister and the Senior Minister.”

“I know others who are not on it, but you could gloss over it; but to have two ministers of state on it yet you don’t have the senior minister and the local government ministers were a bit surprising,” He lamented