MPs on the Appointments Committee of Parliament will begin vetting of persons nominated by President Akufo-Addo for appointment as ministers of state and regional ministers on next week Wednesday, February 10, 2021.
That would give the nominees, numbering 46, around a month’s period to pass through the vetting process to be administered by the committee.
The 26-member committee, which is chaired by the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, is made up of 13 Members of Parliament (MPs) from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and another 13 MPs from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The Minister-designate for Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, is scheduled to appear first before the committee on the first day of sitting. Minister-designate for National Security, Albert Kan Dapaah, will also follow on the first day of sitting of the committee although his vetting is likely going to be held in camera due to national security reasons.
The Minister-designate for Defence, Dominic Nituwul, and his counterpart for the Education Ministry, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, will face the committee on day two, according to the programme lineup of the vetting.
Minister-designate for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, and his counterparts for Attorney General and Minister-designate for Justice, Godfred Dame, as well as Minister-designate for the Interior, Ambrose Dery, will take their turn on Friday, February 12, 2021.
They would be followed by Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh, Minister-designate for Energy, and Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Minister-designate for Foreign Affairs, on February 15, 2021.
The day-four sitting of the Appointments Committee will feature three nominees in the persons of Kwasi Amaoko-Atta, Minister-designate for Roads and Highways; Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister-designate for Communications and Digitisation; and Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister-designate for Finance.
Ignatius Baffour Awuah, Dan Botwe and Sarah Adwoa Safo, designated ministers for Employment and Labour Relations, Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development and Gender, Children and Social Protection, respectively, will take their turns on February 17.
They will be followed by Mavis Hawa Koomson and Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, designated ministers for Fisheries and Acquaculture and Information, respectively, on Thursday, February 18, 2021.
On Friday, February 19, the Minister-designate for Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, and his counterpart for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, will face the committee.
Minister-designate for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Dapaah, as well as Minister-designate for Transport, Kawaka Ofori Asiamah, will take their turns on Monday, February 22.
They will be followed by Joseph Cudjoe, Minister-designate for Public Enterprise; Freda Prempeh, Minister-designate for Works and Housing (Minister of State); and Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, Minister-designate for Lands and Natural Resources, on the following day.
John Peter Amewu, Francis Asenso Boakye and Awal Mohammed, designated ministers for Railway Development, Works and Housing and Tourism, Arts & Culture, respectively, will face off with the Appointments Committee on February 24.
On Thursday, February 25, three nominees – Mustapha Ussif, Ebenezer Kojo Kum and Alan Kojo Kyerematen – for the Ministries of Youth and Sports, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, and Trade and Industry, in that order, will take their seats with the committee.
Regional Ministers
Minister-designate for Western Region, Kwabena Okyere Darko Mensah; Minister-designate for Greater-Accra Region, Henry Quartey; and Seth Acheampong, Minister-designate for Eastern Region, will face the committee on February 26.
They will be followed by George Boakye for Ahafo Region, Simon Osei-Mensah for Ashanti Region and Justina Owusu-Banahene for Bono Region on March 1, 2021.
Tuesday, March 2, has been penciled for Adu Gyan of Bono East Region, Justina Marigold Assan of Central Region and Shani Alhassan Saibu of the Northern Region; while March 3 has been booked for Yidana Zakaria of North East Region, Joshua Makubu of Oti Region and Saeed Muhazu Jibril of Savannah Region.
Thursday, March 4, 2021, is booked for Stephen Yakubu of the Upper East Region, Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih of Upper West Region and Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa of the Volta Region.
Richard Obeng, Minister-designate for Western North Region, is the only person scheduled to face the Appointments Committee on its last sitting for substantive minister on March 9, 2021.
