Profile of Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, NDC’s new Minority Leader

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has announced changes in its leadership in Parliament.

According to the party, the decision is in the ultimate interest of the party.

The National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has stated that careful consideration went into the decision.

According to him, the 2024 elections will be decided on the economy, and thus, the party was obliged to put its best foot forward.

The national chairman noted that the party’s campaign message ahead of the polls will be heavy on the economy, hence the decision to reshuffle its leadership in parliament.

In line with the priority to the economy, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, who is a former Deputy Minister of Finance, has taken over from Haruna Iddrisu as the new Minority Leader. Ellembelle MP, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Boah, will replace James Klutse Avedzi as Deputy Minority Leader.

Kwame Agbodza becomes the Chief Whip for the opposition side and will be deputised by Banda MP, Ahmed Ibrahim, as well as Ada legislator, Comfort Doyo Ghansah, respectively.

Below is a profile of the new Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson

Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson is an Oxford-trained Ghanaian Member of Parliament (MP) who is in his fourth term in the House and a highly-accomplished professional with over two decades of experience.

He has a PhD in Finance from KNUST, a Master of Science in Taxation from the University of Oxford, UK, a Master of Science degree in Economics also from KNUST, and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from London South Bank University.

Dr. Forson is also a chartered accountant and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, Ghana.

His professional career has been marked by influential roles in Ghana's public sector, including as Deputy Minister for Finance from April 2013 to January 2017, a member of Ghana’s Economic Management Team, a Board of Director of the Bank of Ghana, a Board Member of Ghana Cocoa Board, and Ghana’s Alternate Governor at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

His expertise was also brought to light when he chaired the committee that implemented the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System Reforms (GIFMIS).

In 2008, he was elected as the Member of Parliament for the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam Constituency.

Since then, he has worked tirelessly to better the lives of his constituents. He has championed many initiatives related to quality education, healthcare, job creation, and poverty alleviation.

As Ranking Member on the Finance Committee of Parliament, he led many crusades to protect the public purse, including the rejection of the controversial Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) and the infamous Agyapa deal.

Throughout his career, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has been a strong advocate of good governance, transparency, and accountability. He is widely respected in the Central Region and across Ghana for his dedication to the service of his country and his constituents.

NYA/AE