Thursday, January 22, 2021 was the first step of their journey into the second government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. The first list of ministerial appointee-designates were presented to parliament for consideration and announced to the public on that date.
The second and essentially, the final began on Wednesday, February 10, 2021; a journey that will determine their fate as far as getting a nod and making the second government is concerned.
All through to Friday, 8 nominees were grilled by members of Parliament’s Appointments Committee.
Each of them had various things to answer to regarding their respective prospective portfolios.
Monday started with the Health and National Security Ministers.
Kwaku Agyeman-Manu began the process on Monday, responding to various questions, particularly about the fast racing COVID-19 virus and the vaccines the country is yet to receive.
The Minister patted himself on his shoulder for the work he has done in the ministry so far. He also projected an amount of US$120m from the World Bank for the country. This he explained is a loan from the central bank, targeted at helping the country tackle the ravaging pandemic.
Mr. Agyeman-Manu also revealed that by March, the country will take delivery of 355,000 AstraZeneca vaccines, with plans to procure vaccines for an estimated 20m people.
Then, he touched on the increased number of hospitals government is working on for districts nationwide, the previous 88 is now 111. This he explained will help cater for the new six regions and others that were previously left out.
And of course, the ‘I’m tired’ comment had to feature. The committee questioned him about a purported audio that suggested he had said he was tired of performing his duties as a minister. His evidence was simple; ask my wife! He was challenged by Alhassan Suhuyini who dared to produce a video to playback what he said, a request that was turned down. Regardless, he maintained that his comments were misconstrued.
Albert Kan-Dapaah was next and it was one of the much-anticipated ones, especially after his ‘pyjamas’ episode last year.
The subject of high profiled murders, military invasion during parliament’s inauguration, and the fight against illegal mining (galamsey) topped the list of questions for the National Security Minister.
Kan-Dapaah explained that all high-profile cases that happened during his first term were all resolved with the assistance of the police service; the murder of Journalist, Ahmed Suale was the only one left.
He surprisingly expressed shock about what happened in parliament on the eve of its inauguration, and revealed that a commander in the military was the one who initiated the actions of the soldiers in the chamber. He also said the case has been referred to the Chief of Defence Staff for appropriate action to be taken.
For the fight against galamsey, Kan-Dapaah was positive it had largely been successful.
Tuesday came with Defense Minister, Dominic Nitiwul taking his turn before parliament’s Appointment Committee.
He began with an assurance that investigations are underway to fish out persons responsible for the death of some persons during the electoral process on December 7, 2021.
Regarding the burning of excavators by some military personnel during the first phase of Operation Vanguard, as a clampdown on activities of galamseyers, Mr. Nitiwul had this to say.
According to him, the move by the taskforce was merely targeted at ensuring that the perpetrators do not get away with destroying lands and water bodies though it was not a government policy.
He however sympathized with families of the affected persons, whilst noting how the actions had to be revised by the military high command after the first incidents.
Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Foreign Affairs Minister-designate was the second nominee to face the committee for grilling on the second day of vetting. She touched on the country’s preparedness for the COVID-19 vaccines which are expected to arrive by March.
A chip-embedded passport! That came up as something the ministry is considering for citizens by mid-2021. The biometric passport will contain an electronic microprocessor chip with biometric information that will be used to authenticate the identity of its holder.
Miss Ayorkor-Botchwey explained the move was to enhance the security of the Ghanaian passport.
But that wasn’t all. The Minister was asked to address issues regarding LGBT and U.S President Joe Biden’s most recent decision to sanction countries yet to make laws that accommodate homosexuals.
For her, despite the strong relationship Ghana has with other countries, the country has its unique laws and those laws are sovereign regardless of any foreign influence and they must work.
The third and final day for the week had Osei-Kyei Mensah Bonsu, Parliamentary Affairs Minister-designate responding to questions about his prospective portfolio.
He among other things touched on the need for all MPs to learn useful lessons from their conduct and to ensure they do not create the perception that they are development agents in their constituencies just to secure votes.
Osei-Kyei Mensah also suggested that the appointment of the Electoral Commissioner be subjected to parliamentary approval to force the President to be more consultative in his appointment of the electoral body.
Minister of Justice-designate, Godfred Dame was the last to take his turn for the first week of vetting and he touched on the presentation of a report on the Agyapa Royalties Agreement by the former Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu.
According to him, Mr. Amidu was under no obligation to do that, but only did that, like he (Mr. Amidu) said, because of future actions.
On the sacking of the PPA Boss, Adjenim Boateng, Godfred Dame was however confident the move was a step in the right direction, considering it was in the interest of the nation. He further commended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the swift manner in which he dealt with the matter.
Albert Kan-Dapaah, Godfred Dame and Kwaku Agyeman-Manu