Council of State justifying their value – Akufo-Addo

President Akufo-Addo says the volume of work and contribution of the current Council of State to his administration validates their relevance in the politics of Ghana.

Addressing members of the Council of State at their third meeting with him at the Jubilee House, to present the first of its kind, an annual report detailing their activities, President Akufo-Addo said the Council has dealt expeditiously with all matters that he has submitted to them as required by the 1992 Constitution and he is very pleased with their work.

The President noted that even though the Council is required to meet four (4) times a year, they have chosen to meet 73 times in the course of this year alone, a clear sign to him that the current composition of the Council have come to work for the good of the country.

The Creation of New Regions

On the invocation of Article 5 of the 1992 Constitution to create new regions in Ghana, the President said the Council of State went about their work in a thorough and deliberate manner that has seen the process continuing to its climax that will see the Electoral Commission (EC) organizing referenda in the various places where the new regions are to be created.

New EC Chairpersons

The President noted that the circumstances leading to the removal of the former EC Chairperson, Charlotte Osei, were unfortunate, however, the Council of State in record time considered and approved his nominees to fill the vacancies that had been created to get the Commission back on track.

Chairman of the Council of State

The Chairman of the Council of State, Nana Otuo Siriboe II, in his remarks indicated that over the course of the year, the Council has examined and approved appointments to 128 boards of state institutions, Universities and the Judiciary. He noted that they are gratified that the President respected reservations they had on certain nominations he made. This he said is a clear indication that the Council is not a rubber stamp.

The Council he said, was taking a break for a couple of months to resume work in October. However, in order that government business continues uninterrupted, the Council’s appointments and House Affairs Committee (AHAC) will be available to consider requests for examination of appointments forwarded to it by the Presidency during the period of recess.