The list of individuals to serve as ministers and deputy ministers in the second term of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo may not exceed 85, Jubilee House sources have hinted to Asaase News.
The president is expected to release his ministerial list this week to coincide with the establishment of the appointments committee of Parliament.
President Akufo-Addo having been sworn into office nearly two weeks ago, there has been anxiety, even though having designated people are serving as his representatives in various ministries. Speculation has been rife, especially among former government appointees and members of the general public, about who will be appointed to serve in the new government.
Asaase News is reliably informed that since his swearing-in for a second term, President Akufo-Addo has taken a number of significant decisions on the appointments to be made. Among the decisions taken that Asaase News can confirm is that there will be a considerable reduction in the number of ministers and deputy ministers to be announced.
From the 126 ministers who served in the first-term Akufo-Addo government, sources at the Office of the President say that the number of ministers, regional ministers and deputy ministers to be appointed will not exceed 85. Indeed, the number of ministries will also fall from 36 to not more than 29 in his second term.
A blend of new faces
“The ministers and deputy ministers to be appointed will be a blend of new faces and old members of the president’s last government. It will be national in character, and the ministries to be announced by President Akufo-Addo will reinforce his focus for the second term, accelerate job and wealth creation, strengthen the private sector, and see to the rapid development of the country,” the source familiar with the appointments said.
In addition, the source revealed that MPs who served either as ministers or deputy ministers, but did not retain their seat in the parliamentary elections of 7 December 2020, will not find themselves in the new government of President Akufo-Addo.
Already, the president has decided to take away matters to do with illegal mining, popularly referred to as “galamsey”, from the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, and return control of them to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.
The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) has also been dissolved by President Akufo-Addo.
Wilberforce Asare
* Asaase Radio 99.5 – tune in or log on to broadcasts online
#asaaseradio #TVoL
