President Nana Akufo-Addo has announced a significant reshuffle of his ministers after months of public outcry and protests.
The presidency unveiled the new list of appointees on Wednesday, February 14, 2024.
Notable changes include the removal of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta and Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman Manu, among others.
Some key figures like Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and Greater Accra Regional Minister Henry Quartey have been reassigned to different ministries.
While some received dismissal letters, several new faces were appointed ministers and deputy ministers.
The Ghana Report looks closer at the legislators elevated to ministerial positions.
Ophelia Mensah Hayford
Madam Hayford is now the Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation minister-designate.
It will be recalled that Madam Hayford’s ticket to parliament began when the late MP Ekow Kwansah Hayford died at the hands of suspected armed robbers while returning from campaign duties in October 2020.
The wife of the slain MP was nominated to replace her late husband as the parliamentary candidate for the 2020 general elections.
Mrs Hayford got the nod following an overwhelming endorsement by the rank and file of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Following the endorsement, the widow, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, tendered her resignation as required by the police regulations to enable her to contest the elections.
Results showed the late MP’s wife beat her competitors with 36,021 votes.
Her closest contender was NDC’s James Essuon, who had 32, 438 and Ghana Union Movement candidate Alijatu Ibrahim garnered 911 votes.
She has been cruising through parliament since her election and now makes her way to the Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry.
Lydia Seyram Alhassan
Madam Alhassan’s journey to parliament was under similar circumstances to Ophelia’s.
Her husband, Emmanuel Boakye Agyarko’s demise, put her in the frame to take up the mantle.
The relentless wife fought the odds and won against her closest contender and movie actor, John Dumelo, in a heated contest.
Despite the constituency being a safe NPP seat, John Dumelo proved to be no pushover. But Lydia Alhassan prevailed with 39, 851 votes.
Her contender, John Dumelo had 37, 478 votes.
She has now been appointed as the minister-designate for the Sanitation and Water Resources Ministry.
Vincent Ekow Assafuah
Assafuah has been appointed deputy minister-designate for Local Government, Decentralisation, and Rural Development.
Before joining parliament as the Old Tafo MP, he served as the Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the Ministry of Education.
Assafuah’s political journey saw him win the New Patriotic Party seat in the Old Tafo Constituency, securing a decisive victory in the 2020 December parliamentary elections.
With a background in public service, he now brings his expertise to local government and rural development as a deputy minister.
Sylvester Tetteh
Sylvester, a member of the New Patriotic Party, makes his debut in the ministerial realm as deputy minister-designate for Information.
In the 2012 and 2016 general elections, he contested and lost the Ningo-Prampram constituency seat against Enoch Teye Mensah and Samuel Nartey George of the NDC, respectively.
In the 2020 NPP parliamentary primaries, Tetteh switched from Ningo-Prampram to contest in Bortianor-Ngleshie Amanfro, where he resides.
He won against Habib Saad, the then-incumbent MP.
Dakoa Newman
Dakoa Newman, daughter of a politician and founding member of the NPP, is now the minister-designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection.
Ms Newman, hailing from a political lineage, clinched her parliamentary victory in the Okaikwei South Constituency.
In June 2020, she stood for the NPP primaries for Okaikwei South. Newman defeated incumbent members of parliament Arthur Ahmed and Nana Fredua by getting 440 votes, while the others got 327 votes and 27 votes, respectively.
She won the 2020 December parliamentary elections for the Okaikwei South Constituency.
She was declared the winner by getting 40,393 votes, representing 60.82%, against her closest contender, Abraham Kotei Neequaye of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who had 26,019 votes, representing 39.18%.
Her path to the ministerial stage reflects her dedication and triumph over seasoned competitors.
Charles Acheampong
Acheampong takes on a new role as deputy minister-designate for Communications and Digitalisation.
He is currently the MP for the Lower Akim West Constituency and transitions into his first ministerial position.
His background in digital communication aligns with the nation’s focus on technology-driven progress.
He is a first-term MP and a member of Parliament’s Communications Committee.
Adelaide Ntim
Adelaide Ntim has been appointed deputy minister-designate for Health.
Her political journey began when she renounced her United States of America citizenship in August 2020.
She contested the December 2020 parliamentary election in Nsuta-Kwaman-Beposo and won with 23,622 votes, beating her opponent, Newman Dapaah of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who obtained 9,321 votes.
She is a first-term MP and a member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Government Assurance Committee.
Alexander Akwasi Acquah
Acquah has been appointed the deputy minister-designate for Health.
He is currently the Member of Parliament for Akim Oda Constituency in the Eastern Region.
In the 2020 general elections, he won the parliamentary seat with 25,380 votes, making 79.45% of the total votes cast, whilst the NDC parliamentary candidate Jones Asante had 6,262 votes, making 19.60% of the total votes cast.
Akwasi is the vice chairperson of the Trade, Industry and Tourism Committee, the Government Assurance Committee, and the Health Committee.
Dr Prince Hamidu Armah
Armah has been appointed the deputy minister-designate for Works and Housing.
On June 20, 2020, he defeated the then-incumbent Member of Parliament, Joe Mensah, in the party’s parliamentary primary, polling 222 votes against his opponent’s 167.
In December, he defeated two other challengers to retain the Kwesimintsim seat for the New Patriotic Party with 24,759 votes, well ahead of his closest contender, who polled 13,385.
He is currently Vice Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education and a member of the House Committee.
Akwasi Konadu
Konadu has been appointed the deputy Minister-designate for Lands and Natural Resources.
His political journey began when he unseated the incumbent member of parliament for Manhyia North, Collins Owusu Amankwah, who had served in parliament for two terms since January 2013, in a tight contest in June 2020.
Before the win, Konadu had contested in both the 2012 and 2016 primaries against Collins Owusu Amankwaah and lost on both occasions.
In the main elections, he secured 39,562 votes against his closest contender, the National Democratic Congress candidate, Hamza Swallah, who had 15,943 votes.
He is a member of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Committee and also a member of the Health Committee.
Musah Abdul Aziz Ayaba
Ayaba has been appointed the deputy minister-designate for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development.
He is the MP for Mion Constituency.
He won the seat with 21,552 votes, whilst Mohammed Abdul Aziz of the NDC had 14,158 votes.
The capture of the seat by Abdul Aziz made history because it was the first time the NPP won the Mion Constituency in 28 years.
He is a member of the Special Budget Committee, the Employment, Social Welfare and State Enterprises Committee and the Local Government and Rural Development Committee.
John Kobina Sanie
Sanie has been appointed the deputy minister-designate for Energy.
He is a member of parliament for the Mpohor Constituency in the Western Region.
He serves on the Privileges Committee and the Trade, Industry and Tourism Committee.
Collins Adomako Mensah
Mr Mensah has been appointed the deputy minister-designate for Energy.
Adomako-Mensah has worked with financial institutions such as GCB and Fidelity Bank as deputy manager and relationship manager, respectively.
During the 2020 NPP parliamentary primaries, Adomako-Mensah contested for the Afigya Kwabre North seat against the then MP, Nana Marfo Amaniampong and won.
In the 2020 general elections, Adomako-Mensah won the seat with 20,441 votes, representing 65.75%, as against his opponent Emmanuel Jackson Agumah of the NDC, who polled 10646, representing 34.25% of votes.
He is a member of the finance committee and health committee.
Kingsley Nyarko
Mr Nyarko has been appointed deputy minister-designate for Education.
His political journey began in 2020 when he contested the general elections on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party.
He was elected as a member of parliament for the Kwadaso constituency in the 2020 December parliamentary elections. He won the seat after getting 61,772 votes, making 87.51% of the total votes cast.
He is a member of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Committee and the Education Committee.
Festus Awuah Kwofie
Mr Kwofie is now the deputy minister-designate for Employment and Labour Relations.
In the June 2020 NPP parliamentary primaries, he contested and unseated the incumbent member of parliament, Nana Amoako, to represent the NPP in the 2020 general election.
He won the Upper Denkyira East Constituency parliamentary seat with 26,771 votes, making 54.76% of the total votes cast, whilst the NDC parliamentary candidate Emelia Ankomah had 22,121 votes, making 45.24% of the total votes cast.
He serves as the Vice Chairperson of the Gender and Children Committee and is also a member of the Youth, Sports and Culture Committee and the AD-HOC Committee.
Benjamin Sekyere Yeboah
Mr Yeboah has been appointed deputy minister-designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection.
Sekyere’s political journey began when he first contested the Tano South constituency on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party during the 2016 Ghanaian general election.
He won with 21,018 votes, representing 54.62% of the total votes cast, while Hanna Louisa Bisiw of the National Democratic Congress polled 17,215 votes, equivalent to 44.73%.
He was re-elected as a member of parliament for Tano South during the 2020 Ghanaian general election.
Mr Sekyere serves on the Works and Housing Committee, the Poverty Reduction Strategy Committee, the Lands and Forestry Committee and the Local Government and Rural Development Committee.