The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has held one-on-one meetings with new Ministers-designate, as well as with his first-term Ministers who will not transition into the new government, to break the news to them.
To the former Ministers, the President assured them of possible roles to be played in the larger governmental structure, and wished them the best of luck in their future endeavors.
Nana Akufo-Addo congratulated the new Ministers designate on their nominations and expressed his expectation that they will be promptly approved by Parliament, to allow them to start work forthwith.
In all, President Akufo-Addo will appoint a total of thirty (30) Ministers, and sixteen (16) Regional Ministers, bringing the total number of Ministers to forty-six (46). Eight (8) of this number are women – six (6) Ministers and two (2) Regional Ministers. This is the list that will be submitted to Parliament by the President on Thursday.
The President has decided that there will be no Deputy Regional Ministers. At an appropriate date, the President, in accordance with the Constitution, will submit to Parliament the list of all Deputy Ministers of State for its approval.
Activities of the Inner City and Zongo Development Ministry are to be brought under the Presidency, with a Co-coordinator appointed to supervise, as well as exercise oversight responsibility for the Zongo Development Fund.
The newly-renamed Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation, and Rural Development will be tasked with overseeing the outstanding activities of the erstwhile Regional Re-organization and Development Ministry. Matters to do with the Special Development Initiatives Ministry will be coordinated from the Presidency, as will be those of the Monitoring and Evaluation Ministry.
The Aviation Ministry is to be merged into an enlarged Ministry of Transport, with activities of the Ministry of Planning also being subsumed under the Ministry of Finance. The Business Development Ministry is to be merged with the Ministry of Trade and Industry. A new Minister for Energy is to be appointed, who will be assisted by deputy Ministers, one of whom will be an indigene of the Western Region.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Kofi Atakora
