Women pick 24 per cent of ministerial appointments

President John Dramani Mahama has appointed 17 women to serve as Ministers of State, Deputy Ministers and Regional Ministers, in the final list announced by government.

Statistics available to the Ghana News Agency indicate that out of 72 Ministers of State, including Deputy and Regional Ministers, 17 are women, representing only 24 per cent.

The female ministers are: Ms Hannah Serwaa Tetteh and Professor Naana Opoku- Agyeman retaining their posts as Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and Education respectively.

Others are Nana Oye Lithur, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong; Transport-Mrs. Dzifa Attivor and Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts-Mrs. Elizabeth Ofosu Agyare.

The rest are: Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ms Sherry Hanny Ayittey and Minister of State, Mrs. Comfort Ghansah.

Out of the 10 Regional Ministers, Mrs Helen Adjoa Ntoso, is the only female among them.

The Female Deputy Ministers are: Mrs. Mona Quartey, Finance; Agriculture, Dr. Hanna Bissiw; Transport, Mrs. Joyce Bawa Mogtari; Lands and Natural Resources, Ms Barbara Serwaa Asamoah and the Environment, Science, and Technology Innovation, Dr. Bernice Heloo.

The rest are: Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mrs Dzifa Gomashie; Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mrs. Dela Sowah; and Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mrs. Benita Okity Duah.

President John Dramani Mahama has also nominated a former Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, as Minister of Trade and Industry.

Dr.Spio-Garbrah will be taking over from Mr Haruna Iddrissu (MP), who has been moved to the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations.

The President has also appointed Dr. Benjamin Bewa-Nyog Kunbuor (MP) as the new Minister of Defence, replacing Mr Mark Woyongo (MP) who has been re-assigned to the Ministry of the Interior.

Until his re-assignment, Dr. Kunbuor was a Minister of State responsible for Government Business in Parliament.

Alhaji Inusah Fuseini (MP) moves from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, and is the new Minister of Roads and Highways.

The statement said under the new re-aligned government structure, the Ministry of Communications will now be responsible for the Information and Media Relations functions of government, as it was prior to the year 2001.

It said all agencies under the former Ministry of Information & Media Relations will now operate under the Ministry of Communications.