Minority NDC’s boycott didn’t stop approval of 24 ministers

Despite a boycott by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Minority, the majority New Patriotic Party (NPP) approved 24 Ministerial Nominees of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
The eight Ministers-Designate include Mrs Abena Osei-Asare, Minister of State Designate for the Ministry of Finance, Mr Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer, Minister Designate for Tourism, Art and Culture; Madam Lydia Seyram Alhassan, Minister Designate for Sanitation and Water Resources; and Mr Martin Kwaku Adjei-Mensah Korsah, Minister Designate for Local Government, Rural Development and Decentralisation.
The rest are Madam Ophelia Mensah Hayford, Minister Designate for Environmental, Science Technology and Innovation; Madam Darkoa Newman, Minister Designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection; Dr Bernard Okoe-Boye, Minister Designate for Health; and Madam Fatimatu Abubakar, Minister Designate for Information.
The Regional Ministers-Designate are Mr Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus Glover, Greater Accra Regional Minister; and Mr Daniel Machator, Minister Designate for Oti Region.
The 14 Deputy Ministers-Designate include Dr Benjamin Sekyere Yeboah, Deputy Minister Designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mr Sylvester Tetteh, Deputy Minister Designate for Information; Mr Charles Acheampong, Deputy Minister Designate for Communications and Digitisation; and Madam Adelaide Ntim, a Deputy Minister Designate for Health.
The rest are Mr Alexander Akwasi Acquah, also a Deputy Minister Designate for Health; Mr Vincent Ekow Assafuah, Deputy Minister Designate for Local Government, Rural Development and Decentralisation; and Mr John Kobina Abbam Aboah Sanie, a Deputy Minister Designate for Energy.
Others are Mr Collins Adomako Mensah, also a Deputy Minister Designate for Energy; Dr Prince Hamidu Armah, Deputy Minister Designate for Works and Housing; Professor Kingsley Nyarko, a Deputy Minister Designate for Education; and Dr Festus Awuah Kwofie, Deputy Minister Designate for Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions.
Also included are Mr Akwasi Konadu, Deputy Minister Designate for Lands and Natural Resources; Mr Musah Abdul Aziz Ayaba, Deputy Minister Designate for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development and Dr Alexander Ampaabeng, a Deputy Minister Designate for Finance.

Minority Leader’s opposition
Before the walkout, Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson addressed the House, expressing his caucus’s opposition to the approval of the ministerial nominees.
He highlighted the nation’s ongoing economic challenges, including an employment crisis, food insecurity, erratic power outages (dumsor), and a severe debt crisis due to what he described as the government’s reckless borrowing to finance construction projects.
Dr. Forson said government is duty bound to signal to the people of Ghana and the investment community that it is ready and willing to do things differently to restore confidence in our economy.
He urged the President to downsize his government to show a commitment to addressing the economic issues.

Majority Leader’s argument
In response, Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business Mr. Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin noted that the NDC Minority had participated in the committee-level approval process for the ministerial nominees.
He pointed out that the committee’s report recommending the approval of the nominees had been consensual.
He was surprised at the last-minute turn by the minority to say that they don’t want to be part of the approval; hence the report should be amended to reflect the majority decision.
Afenyo-Markin pointed out that the boycott does not stop the government from conducting business and for the majority to approve these Ministers for them to mount the various Ministries to deliver what is expected of them for the benefit of the people of Ghana.
Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin congratulated the approved ministers-designate and reminded them of their accountability to both the President and Parliament.

Legal challenge
On March 20, 2024, Parliament halted the consideration of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s ministerial nominees and adjourned sine die.
This decision followed an interlocutory injunction suit filed on March 18, 2024, by the NDC MP for South Dayi, which sought to restrain the Speaker from proceeding with the approvals.
The injunction was served on Bagbin on March 19, 2024.
The writ had challenged the constitutionality of the President’s decision to reassign five ministers—Mohammed Amin Adam, Henry Quartey, Francis Asenso-Boakye, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, and Ambrose Dery—without seeking parliamentary approval.
The suit, which was filed against the Speaker of Parliament and the Attorney-General, argued that the President’s actions violated Article 78(1) of the Constitution, which mandates that any minister reassigned to a different portfolio must be approved by Parliament.
The plaintiff also filed an application for an interlocutory injunction to restrain Parliament from approving 22 ministers-designate until the substantive case was resolved.
However, on March 28, 2024, the Supreme Court dismissed the application that sought to prevent Parliament from approving the ministers-designate nominated by President Akufo-Addo.
This cleared the way for Parliament to proceed with the approval process of the President’s nominees.