I find your portfolio nebulous - Haruna Iddrisu to Public Enterprises minister-designate

The Ranking Member on the Appointments Committee of Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, has described as 'nebulous', the portfolio of Joseph Cudjoe, who has been appointed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as minister-designate for Public Enterprises.

According to the leader of the Minority caucus in Parliament, it becomes difficult to appreciate that a separate ministry is set up to do a central work that for long, many other ministries have been undertaking, with respect to state enterprises.

Regardless, the Ranking Member advised him that although he finds the portfolio of the former Deputy Energy Minister nebulous, he should tread with caution so as not to overstep into territories of people doing similar things.

"I can only come to the understanding that your mandate is to supervise, as a minister, as I am made to understand it for now, state interest and governance authority act. I do know that state-owned enterprises are either wholly-owned or partially owned by government and in many instances, run commercial activities on behalf of government. I still find your portfolio nebulous because, if you take, for instance, National Health Insurance Authority as an entity, it is still supervised by a minister for health. if you take SSNIT - pensions, it is still supervised by a minister of finance and minister responsible for employment.

"Therefore, mine will be to caution you that you will have to hasten slowly, other than that, you will walk into a turf war and a turf battle with almost every other ministry or department of state. But what I am made to understand is you have an onerous duty to prove the performance of state-owned enterprises because many of them are operating below expectation, many of them, there is no justification for the state to continue to invest in them.

"So today, we are entrusting you with the portfolio that you are the only person tomorrow, to assure us that, 'Don't privatize this entity; it is capable of doing well," he advised.

Earlier, the Member of Parliament for Tamale South had raised "a preliminary, fundamental objection" to the proceeding, pushing the Committee to go on a short recess to deliberate on whether or not to vet the nominee.

This was because, according to Haruna Iddrisu, the Executive Instrument on the Civil Service Instrument of 2021 did not make provision for the Public Enterprises ministry.

After it returned, the Committee again had a slippery difficulty in differentiating the unique role of the Public Enterprises ministry from all the other ministries undertaking similar roles as part of their overall mandates.

Joseph Cudjoe is the Member of Parliament for Effia constituency and is the immediate Deputy Minister for Energy.