Nominations of Ursula Owusu, Godfred Dame and 14 others approved by parliament

Parliament has approved 16 other ministerial nominees recommended by the Appointments Committee. This brings the number of ministers-designate to 29.

The conclusion was reached via voice vote on March 4.

Prior to this, parliament had approved some 13 ministerial nominees during a sitting which dragged through Wednesday night to Thursday dawn.

Speaker Alban Bagbin suspended sitting for about 30 minutes to allow Minority MPs who had not received copies of the Appointments Committee's report to be served.

The house later resumed to debate the contents of the Appointments Committee's report and after several hours of debate, the Second Deputy Speaker, Amoako Andrew Asiamah who had at the time taken the speaker’s chair put the question for their approval.

NDC members on the committee had earlier singled out John Peter Amewu, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Godfred Dame, Kwasi Amoako Atta and Kwaku Agyeman Manu as individuals they had issues with regarding their nomination.

However, the committee cleared and recommended them for approval by consensus after an in-camera meeting with the said nominees Wednesday.

Asiamah put the motion to a voice vote after which he declared: “The motion is hereby adopted. The House has accordingly approved the following persons for ministerial… appointments in accordance with Article 78(1) of the 1992 Constitution: Kwaku Agyeman-Manu - Health; Alan Kyerematen – Trade and Industry; Godfred Yeboah Dame – Attorney General and Minister for Justice; Ursula Owusu-Ekuful – Communication and Digitisation; Samuel Abdulai Jinapor – Lands and Natural Resources; Kwasi Amoako Attah – Roads and Highways; Francis Asenso Boakye – Works and Housing; Kwaku Ofori Asiamah – Transport; John Peter Amewu – Railway Development; Cecilia Abena Dapaah – Water and Sanitation; Awal Mohammed – Tourism, Arts and Culture; Ebenezar Kojo Kum – Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs; Kwakye Afriyie – Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation; Mustapha Ussif – Youth and Sports; Joseph Cudjoe – Minister of State at the Presidency for State Enterprises; and Freda Prempeh - Minister of State at the Presidency for Works and Housing.”