- "The entire nation followed keenly your individual interactions with the Appointments Committee. In those sessions, you exhibited your capacity to act as ministers of state for all to see and justified to the country the confidence I have reposed in you to serve in government."
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has charged newly sworn in ministers in his second term administration to work hard to improve the living standards of Ghanaians.
Speaking at the swearing in ceremony at the Jubilee House, Akufo-Addo charged the ministers to propagate the achievements of government.
“As you assume your roles in government, I urge you to provide leadership that will ensure that the work on which we are embarked, benefits the progress of our nation and helps raise the living standards of our people. That is why we are here and that is why the Ghanaian people voted for us,” Akufo-Addo said.
“The entire nation followed keenly your individual interactions with the Appointments Committee. In those sessions, you exhibited your capacity to act as ministers of state for all to see and justified to the country the confidence I have reposed in you to serve in government.
“I have had the opportunity to sit and work with many of you in my first term of office. Some of you are new to the workings of government. Nonetheless, I am confident that together we will work to realise the vision of the mandate given to me by the Ghanaian people in the victory of 7 December 2020, a victory which yesterday (4 March), was unanimously upheld in a lucid, well considered judgment by a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court, presided over by the Chief Justice,” the president stated.
The Republic’s interests
The president in emphasising the need to put the interests of the people of Ghana first noted, “the sum total of these oaths that you (the Ministers) have solemnly sworn (the oaths being allegiance, office and secrecy) is that you have pledged to uphold the interest of the Republic, its Constitution and its citizenry and to dedicate yourselves to the promotion of their well-being. It is a heavy responsibility.”
Response of ministers
In a response on behalf of her colleague ministers, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister for Communication and Digitisation, expressed appreciation to Akufo-Addo for the confidence reposed in them.
“We pledge not to let you down and we will live up to the oaths we’ve just sworn and discharge our responsibilities to the best of our ability,” Owusu-Ekuful said.
List of Ministerial Appointees
A total of 28 out of 30 substantive ministers were sworn in, excluding regional ministers. The minister for finance-designate, Ken Ofori-Atta, as a result of health related issues, is yet to be vetted. The minister for chieftaincy and religious affairs, Ebenezer Kojo Kum, could not make it to the swearing in ceremony due to ill-health.
The Ministers who were sworn into office include: National Security – Albert Kan Dapaah; Trade and Industry – Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen; Defence – Dominic Nitiwul; Interior – Ambrose Dery; Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration – Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey; Justice and Attorney General – Godfred Yeboah Dame; Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development – Daniel Botwe; Parliamentary Affairs – Osei Kyei Mensa Bonsu; Communications and Digitalisation – Ursula Owusu-Ekuful; Food and Agriculture – Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto; Energy – Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh; and Education – Dr. Yaw Osei Adu Twum.
The rest are Health – Kwaku Agyeman-Manu; Works and Housing – Francis Kwame Asenso-Boakye; Lands and Natural Resources – Samuel Abdulai Jinapo; Roads and Highways – Kwasi Amoako-Atta; Transport – Kwaku Ofori Asiamah; Fisheries and Aquaculture Development – Mavis Hawa Koomson; Railway Development – John Peter Amewu; Sanitation and Water Resources – Ms. Cecilia Dapaah; Tourism – Arts and Culture – Mr. Awal Mohammed; Gender, Children and Social Protection – Ms Sarah Adwoa Safo; Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation – Dr. Kwaku Afriyie; Employment and Labour Relations – Ignatius Baffour Awuah; Information – Kojo Oppong Nkrumah; Youth and Sports – Mustapha Ussif; Public Enterprises – Joseph Cudjoe; and Works and Housing (Minister of State) – Ms Freda Prempeh.
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