President Mills swears-in Victor Smith, Kamel Ford as Regional Ministers

President John Evans Atta Mills on Monday swore-in two new Regional Ministers, Mr Victor Emmanuel Smith and Mr Henry Kamel Ford, and charged them to start work immediately and keep an eye on the biometric voter registration exercise.

Mr Smith goes to the Eastern Region while Mr Ford looks after the Volta Region.

Until his new appointment by the President, Mr Smith was Ghana’s Ambassador to the Czech Republic, while Mr Ford, who is also MP for Buem, was the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources.

The two Ministers took the Oaths of Office of a Minister; Secrecy and Allegiance administered by President Mills, at the Osu Castle in Accra.

They also signed the Oath Books and were given the Instrument of Office in the form of a Scroll in the Ghanaian national colours of red, yellow and green.

President Mills congratulated the Ministers on their appointment, and reiterated Government’s confidence in them to deliver in their new assignments.

The President urged the Minister to consider themselves as part of the Government team and partner Government as they had done in the previous engagements in pursuit of the Better Ghana programme.

Mr Henry Newman, Chief of Staff, advised the appointees to represent the President in all that they would do politically, socially and economically and pledged Government’s support for them.

Mr Smith on behalf of his colleague, thanked the President for the giving them the opportunity to work in his administration as Regional Ministers.

He identified their role as critical to the success of the Better Ghana Agenda, and pledged to discharge duties conscientiously.**