• President Akufo-Addo has been offering high-profile appointments to party faithful of the New Patriotic Party and some neutrals
• The appointments will see new faces taking over the affairs of some government institutions
• Some of these appointments by the president have raised some eyebrows
While it is still early days, some party faithful of the ruling New Patriotic Party and nuetrals have started to receive high-profile appointments by the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Some of the names that have come up, and the appointments they have been offered, have raised eyebrows while others have been lauded by a cross-section of Ghanaians.
Already, there have been reports that the president, in naming his appointees, will place his focus on heads of state institutions, especially departments and agencies of the central government.
Though the statutory retirement age in Ghana is 60 years, it is believed that the president will be introducing a number of new and younger faces to these institutions.
GhanaWeb has compiled a list of some appointees and their respective designations that the president has named thus far. However, this list shows some other appointments made by the president within the same period, who are not directly linked to the NPP but by dint of their public status, they have been featured.
George Akuffo Damapre as new IGP
Commissioner of Police (COP) George Akuffo Dampare was on July 21, 2021 appointed as a substantive IGP by president Akufo-Addo in accordance with the dictates of the Constitution to serve as the Acting IGP with effect from August 1, 2021
The 51-year-old Police Chief becomes one of Ghana’s youngest occupants of the role after three decades in the service.
Dampare who takes over former IGP James Oppong-Boanuh worked his way up the ranks since 1991 after he passed out from the National Police Training School.
Mustapha Hamid as CEO of NPA
The first of the appointees was Mustapha Hamid who will operate from at the helm of affairs of the National Petroleum Authority.
Hamid was appointed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on June 17, 2021, to serve in the role from July 1, 2021, after the former Chief Executive of the Authority, Hassan Tampuli, was elected as Member of Parliament for the Gugeshu constituency in the Northern Region.
Mustapha Hamid is expected to oversee all operations in the country’s downstream petroleum sector which primarily deals with regulation.
Sammy Awuku as Director-General of NLA
Another notable and recent appointment was that of National Lottery Authority, to be headed by Samuel Kwabena Awuku, another party faithful of the New Patriotic Party.
Sammy Awuku who had resigned from his previous position as NPP National Organiser has since been approved by the Council of State as the new Director-General of the NLA.
Kennedy Agyapong as Board Chair of Ghana Gas
While his appointment has raised some eyebrows, the Assin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Agyapong, has been sworn in as Board Chairman of the Ghana Gas Company Limited.
Kennedy Agyapong will be assisted by eight other members of the board whose core mandate will be geared towards ensuring the country’s natural gas infrastructure is well managed for processing, transportation and marketing.
The Ghana National Gas Company was first established in July 2011 as a limited liability company.
Mike Oquaye Junior as CEO of Free Zones Authority
A former Ghana High Commissioner to India, Michael Oquaye Jnr, and son of the Speaker of Ghana’s 7th Parliament, Rev. Aaron Oquaye, has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Free Zones Authority.
Initial reports suggest that Mike Quaye Jnr was handpicked by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to serve in the role.
Mike Oquaye Jnr is taking over from Michael Okyere Baafi who is now the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry and Member of Parliament for Juaben South.
Edward Boateng as Managing Director of Tema Oil Refinery
The Tema Oil Refinery will get a new Managing Director as President Akufo-Addo has appointed Ghana’s former Ambassador to China, Edward Boateng, to the position.
Boateng takes office at a time where there has been staff agitation against the former management of the refinery to adequately steer the affairs of the country’s first oil refinery.
The Institute of Energy Security (IES) has recently implored government to cede majority of its stake in Tema Oil Refinery to private investors over major challenges faced by the refinery to operate to its full capacity.
Henry Nana Boakye as Board Chairman of Buffer Stock Company
A national Youth Organiser of the ruling New Patriotic Party, Henry Nana Boakye, has been appointed by President Akufo-Addo as the new Board Chairman of the National Food Buffer Stock Company.
The National Food Buffer Stock Company was incorporated under the Companies Code of Ghana, 1963, Act 179 to provide market access and food items at a minimum price.
The Buffer Stock Company has been responsible for feeding of students under the Akufo-Addo government’s Free Senior High School programme. The Buffer Stock Company operates as a limited liability owned by government.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
