Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has finally been relieved of his responsibilities. Road Minister Kwasi Amoako-Atta and Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman Manu are also not in the picture.
In a major shake-up, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah is transferred to the Housing Ministry, while his deputy Fatimatu Abubakar takes over as the substantive Minister.
Ambrose Dery, the Interior Minister, has also been reassigned as Minister of State in the President’s Office.
The recent reshuffle has affected approximately 13 ministers of state, including ten cabinet ministers and two regional ministers.
On Wednesday, February 14, the presidency issued a press release listing the ministers who had been fired, reassigned, or newly appointed.
President Akufo-Addo has been under pressure to fire Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, and some Majority MPs have joined the chorus. The President stood up for his cousin in October 2022, stating that there was no justification for the action.
He claims that Ken Ofori-Atta has performed his job “excellently” and that he is unable to remove him from office. He maintained that Mr. Ofori-Atta was not to blame for the nation’s current economic problems.
The calls became more urgent after 98 NPP MPs decided that, should the President decline to remove the Finance Minister right away, they would boycott the budget presentation and any proceedings pertaining to the Finance Ministry.
The group’s spokesperson, Asante Akyem North MP Andy Appiah-Kubi, claims that Ofori-Atta’s position in government has become untenable, which is why there is now a new call for his resignation.
As Ghana wraps up its negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the President has asked the Members of Parliament to remain in office.
President Akufo-Addo urged composure during a meeting at the Jubilee House with the irate Members of Parliament.
He claimed that ending Mr. Ofori-Atta’s employment would cause disruptions to the program.
Similar appeals have been made for Kwaku Agyeman Manu, the head of the health ministry. Many Ghanaians demanded the Minister resign after the findings in the Parliamentary Committee’s report, which looked into the Sputnik V vaccine contract, were made public.
Martin Kpebu, a private attorney, stated that the Minister “should have gone a long time ago.”
He clarified, “You see that the report has made matters worse for him.” Nevertheless, in spite of the pressure, President Akufo-Addo recognized Mr. Agyeman Manu’s contributions.
During his Tuesday speech at a durbar of chiefs in the Bono Region, the President mentioned the Minister as a key figure in his government and mentioned that Mr. Agyeman Manu had suffered greatly to stabilize the health sector.
