Meet Akufo-Addo’s team handing over power to Mahama

The transition from the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government to that of President-Elect John Dramani Mahama started on Wednesday, December 12, 2024, with the inauguration of a joint transition team.

The president's appointees to the team are expected to provide a comprehensive report of the state of the country to the incoming president to ensure a smooth transfer of political power.

The incoming president, John Dramani Mahama, is also expected to receive daily national security briefings from the day of the inauguration of the Transition team till January 7 when he will be inaugurated and his team will officially take over the administration of the country.

To ensure that this task is performed well, the Presidential (Transition) Act, 2012 (Act 845), specifies the people who must be appointed by the incumbent president, which is now Akufo-Addo, to ensure a smooth transition.

Below are brief profiles of Akufo-Addo appointees on the transition team:

1. Akosua Frema Osei-Opare - Co-chairperson

Akosua Frema Osei-Opare is the current and first female Chief of Staff of Ghana. Frema had her bachelor's degree in Home Science from the University of Ghana. She proceeded to the University of Guelph for a Master's in Food Science.

Frema is married with four children.

Frema lectured at the University of Ghana as a lecturer at the Department of Home Science from 1976 to 1982. She eventually became the Head of Department. She has also worked with the United Nations in the Women In Fisheries project in various capacities in Uganda, Ethiopia, Congo, and Namibia.

Frema from 2005 - 2008 worked under the government of President John Agyekum Kufuor as the Deputy Minister for Manpower, Youth, and Employment. She also once served a two-term office as the Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon.



2. Godfred Yeboah Dame - Member



Godfred Yeboah Dame is the current Attorney General and Minister of Justice for Ghana. He was a Deputy Attorney General during the first term of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

He has previously served on the Legal Service Board, the Ministerial Advisory Board of the Ministry of Justice, the Board of the University of Ghana Medical Centre, the Board of the Public Procurement Authority, and the National Cathedral Board of Trustees.

Dame holds a Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) in 2001 from the University of Ghana and a professional law qualification from the Ghana School of Law. He was called to the Bar in October 2003 and started his professional legal practice with the firm of Messrs. Akufo-Addo, Prempeh & Co., a law firm in Ghana, specialising in various aspects of civil litigation.

He is married with two children.

3. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu - Member

Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu is the Minister for Presidential Affairs and the Member of Parliament for Suame, representing the constituency since January 7, 2024.

He was previously the majority leader of Ghana's Parliament. He is married with five children.

He holds BSc (Planning) KNUST, 1982. He is a Development Planner/Architect/Quantity Surveyor. Hon. Bonsu is a Christian and fellowships with the Assemblies of God church.

4. Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam - Member



Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam is the Minister for Finance and the Member of Parliament for Karaga Constituency. Prior to assuming his role as the Minister for Finance, he served as a Minister of State at the Finance Ministry.

Dr. Amin Adam was the Deputy Minister for Energy responsible for the Petroleum Sector before his appointment to the Ministry of Finance. He was appointed as the Deputy Regional Minister for the Northern Region in 2005.

He has worked extensively in the extractive sector as a university lecturer, advisor on Resource Governance, and a campaigner for transparency in resource management around the globe.

Prior to his role as the Deputy Minister for Energy, he was the founder and Executive Director of the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP).

He holds a PhD in Petroleum Economics from the Centre for Energy, Petroleum & Mineral Law, and Policy (CEPMLP) of the University of Dundee in the UK, specialising in Petroleum fiscal policy in resource-led economies and resource governance. He also has an MPhil (Economics) and a B.A (Hons) Economics from the University of Cape Coast. He is also a fellow of the Institute of Certified Economists of Ghana (ICEG).

He has undertaken professional development training at Columbia University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Harvard University in the US. He is chairman of Ghana’s National Energy Transition Committee, chairman of the Gold for Oil Initiative, and chairman of the New Producers Group (a group of new oil and gas producing countries in the world).

5. Henry Quartey - Member



Henry Quartey is the current Minister of Interior. He was previously the Greater Accra Regional Minister.

He has also served as a Deputy Minister of Interior.

He is also the Member of Parliament for the Ayawaso Central Constituency in the Greater Accra Region. He holds a certificate from GIMPA.

Henry Quartey was the Managing Director at B.B.C. Trading from 1992 to 1996, the Regional Director of Dalebrook Company Limited from 1997 to 1998, a sales manager/director at Pecoll Aluminium Systems from 1995 to 2000, and a managing director at Krafty Hospitality Services Limited from 2003 to date.

6. Dominic Nitiwul - Member

Dominic Nitiwul is the Minister of Defence, a position he has held since Akufo-Addo’s first term.

He is also the Member of Parliament for the Bimbilla Constituency in the Northern Region. He has also served in the Pan-African Parliament since February 2017.

Dominic Nitiwul studied in various educational institutions in Ghana, Germany, and the United Kingdom. In Germany, he earned certificates in conflict prevention (2003) and conflict management (2005) from the International Academy for Leadership. He obtained his Masters in Business Administration in finance from the University of South Wales, and a Master of Laws in corporate finance from the University of Westminster. Nitiwul was elected to the Parliament of Ghana in 2002 at the age of 25.

7. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey - Member



Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey is the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the incoming Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations.

She previously served as the Member of Parliament for Anyaa-Sowutuom and once as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

She is a product of the University of Ghana Business School, the Ghana Institute of Journalism, the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, the Pitman’s Central College, the University of London, and the University of Westminster in the United Kingdom (UK). She holds an Executive MBA (Project Management option), an MA in Public Communication, a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LLB), a Diploma in Public Relations and Advertising, and a a certificate in Marketing Management.

8. Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah - Member



Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah is the Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation, and Rural Development.

Adjei-Mensah Korsah is the Member of Parliament for the Techiman South Constituency in the Bono East Region. He is a member of the House Committee of the current Parliament and also a member of the Employment, Social Welfare, and State Enterprises Committee.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Ghana and a master's degree in Politics and International Relations.

9. Albert Kan-Dapaah - Member



Albert Kan-Dapaah is the Minister of National Security, a position he has held since 2017.

He also previously served in several positions in NPP governments, including Minister of Energy, Minister for Defence, Minister for the Interior, Minister for Communications, and Minister for Energy.

He is also a former Member of Parliament for Ayigya Sekyere West.

Kan-Dapaah studied accountancy at the Institute of Professional Studies (IPS), Legon. He took further accountancy courses at the North East London Polytechnic, London, and the Emile Woolf College of Accountancy.

10. Dr. Evans Aggrey-Darkoh - Member



Dr. Evans Aggrey-Darkoh is the current Head of the Civil Service of Ghana.He was previously the Chief Director of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.

Evans Aggrey-Darkoh holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with Philosophy, a Master of Philosophy in Political Science with a specialisation in Public Sector Productivity, and a PhD in Political Science with a focus on Public Policy Making, from the University of Ghana.

Dr. Evans Aggrey-Darkoh lectured at the Department of Political Science at the University of Ghana, rising through the ranks to become a Senior Lecturer. He served as an adjunct lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, and the Kofi Annan International Peace Training Centre.

11. Dr. Nana Ato Arthur - Member



Dr. Nana Ato Arthur is the Head of the Local Government Service. He was a Member of Parliament for Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem Constituency in the Central Region.

Dr. Arthur has previously held several positions in government, including Central Regional Minister, Deputy Central Regional Minister, and the DCE of the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem District Assembly.

He holds an MSc in Development Planning and Management from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), a PG Dip in Regional Planning and Management from Universitat Dortmund in Germany, a BSc in Engineering from South China Agricultural University in Guangzhou, China, and a PhD in Development Studies at the Centre for Development Research at the University of Bonn.

12. Ambassador Mercy Debrah-Karikari - Member



Ambassador Mercy Debrah-Karikari is the Secretary to the Cabinet.

She is a diplomat and the first female to be Secretary to the Cabinet of the Government of Ghana.

She has represented Ghana in different capacities at the United Nations. She was Ghana’s High Commissioner to Australia during the John Dramani Mahama administration.

She holds a Diploma in Education from the University of Cape Coast and a master's degree in International Affairs from the University of Ghana.

13. Edward Asomani – Member



Edward Asomani is the National Security Coordinator. He is a political researcher and policy analyst.

He was previously the Executive Secretary of the Danquah Institute. He is an alumnus of the University of Oxford, the University of Manchester, Sheffield Hallam University, and the University of Ghana.

14. Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye - Member of the Advisory Council



Aaron Mike Oquaye served as the sixth Speaker of Parliament of the 4th Republic of Ghana from 2017 to 2021.

He is an academic, diplomat, and Baptist minister. Prof. Mike Oquaye previously held the cabinet ministerial portfolios for energy and communication and was also the High Commissioner of Ghana to India (2002–04) in the Kufuor administration.

BAI/EK

After the December 2024 polls, there have been security concerns across the country. Catch Etsey Atisu's interview with security analyst, Adib Saani, on Election Desk on GhanaWeb TV below:



Watch the latest episode of Trending GH on GhanaWeb TV below:



You can also watch videos from the meeting of Mahama and Akufo-Addo ahead of the inauguration of the joint transition team: