Who in NDC gets to serve in Mahama’s 60 ministers?
Sources close to the president-elect are almost united that the names and positions below are as good as set in stone in the new government
Intense lobbying is said to be taking place in the top echelons of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as President-elect John Dramani Mahama puts his government together ahead of his official inauguration as president on Tuesday 7 January 2025.
With only 60 ministerial and deputy ministerial slots to fill, including 16 regional slots, Asaase News sources close to the president-elect are almost united that the following names and positions are as good as set in stone for the second Mahama administration.
The chief of staff in the Office of the President will go to Julius Debrah. Sam George, the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, will most likely be appointed as the minister for communications.
Mahama Ayariga, the MP for Bawku, is likely to be named the Majority Leader. Haruna Iddrisu, the MP for Tamale South, has been pencilled in as education minister, John Jinapor for Energy, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah for Lands and Natural Resources and Cassiel Ato Forson as minister of finance.
The current Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, is believed to be lobbying to stay on as Speaker but the role is likely to go to a senior member of the NDC who hails from the Volta Region.
This is because the president-elect is said to be largely against appointing a Speaker who is from the Northern part of Ghana.
Finance portfolio
While it is believed that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank are pushing for Seth Terkper to be named as the finance minister, he is likely to be made Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), a position long reserved for Alhassan Andani, formerly of Stanbic Bank.
Mona Quartey is likely to be appointed as one of two deputy governors of the central bank.
Ms Zanetor Rawlings, the MP for Klottey Korle, will mostly likely serve as the minister of health. The foreign affairs minister role is between Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Dr Valerie Sawyerr.
However, Okudzeto Ablakwa is likely to get the nod because those close to President-elect Mahama argue that the government is better off having him out of the way (ie, working extensively outside Ghana) so he cannot cause mischief.
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