Parliament vets nominees for deputy ministerial positions

Mr Gilbert Kenneth Adjei, Deputy Minister of Defence-Designate, has promised to bring his relationship skills, intelligence management, security and confidentiality to assist the sector Minister for the needed change and development in the Ministry.

The deputy minister-designate, who was nominated by President John Mahama recently, said despite his relatively young age, he had experience to assist his minister, and relate effectively with the officers and men of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).

“I am young, but I have work experience, and I will use the experience to assist my Minister,” the Deputy Minister told the Appointments Committee of Parliament at his vetting, in parliament on Tuesday.

Mr Adjei, a marketing executive, with an Executive Masters in Business Administration from the University of Ghana Business School, who would be 37 next September, replaces Mr Alex Segbefia.

Mr Segbefia in a recent ministerial reshuffle, is going to the Ministry of Health as the sector Minister.

The Deputy Minister-Designate said he would bring along his experience in the financial sector and would learn more when the Committee okayed his appointment to the Ministry.

He promised to discuss the way forward with his boss, issues as on whether young people should do military service as part of their National Service, improving military and civilian relations, and go for the insurance of all Government military property.

“If not, what we will be paying for will be far more that the premium,” he added.

Mr Adjei agreed to the diversification of the operations of the Armed Forces with more investment to generate enough funds for internal operations, peacekeeping activities and check the aggression of terrorists.

“Thanks to the GAF for their role in peacekeeping. I’ll encourage equipping them to ensure that peacekeeping goes on. If peacekeeping had been done in Somalia and Kenya, Al Shebab terrorists would have been checked and we would not have lost our illustrious Prof Kofi Awoonor, “Mr Adjei said.

Another nominee, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, 35, MP for Juabeso in the Western Region, designated for the position of Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, appeared before the Committee.

Members of the committee did not understand why the nominee should include in his CV, dining hall president as part of his experience; and why he had five children at age 35.

Mr Akando brushed aside criticisms by the committee members that he was an abrasive person, described the comment as unfair and went ahead to state that he would have a cordial working relationship with his minister.

The nominee also proposed that government, as part of criteria for the appointment of DCEs, measured the competencies of the prospective appointees in dealing with poor sanitation, as well as their resolve in fighting illegal mining.

Mr Samuel Yaw Adusei, deputy minister-designate for Water Resources Works and Housing, who was removed from office as deputy minister for the Ashanti Region, explained that the President owed nobody any explanation to appoint or fire his appointees.

He could, therefore, not explain why he was axed from his position as deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, but was however commended by his former boss Mr Eric Opoku, who was present at the vetting for his efficiency.

Mr Adusei promised to work with his boss and the Ministry to deal in a holistic manner with the illegal mining menace called galamsey.

He said he would learn more about the giving of large tracts of land to investors rather for estate development and other non agricultural reasons to the hurt of agriculture called “land grabbing” and offer appropriate suggestions.