Former Interior Minister Henry Quartey has explained why some ministers and deputy ministers serving under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo were removed from office during the 2024 ministerial reshuffle.
According to Quartey, he had information as far back as 2023 that the then President Akufo-Addo intended to remove sitting Members of Parliament (MPs) serving as ministers who had decided not to contest their parliamentary seats in the 2024 general election.
Speaking in an interview on Neat FM on August 24, 2026, Quartey, who was then the Greater Accra Regional Minister, said the information influenced his decision to contest the 2024 parliamentary election in the Ayawaso Central Constituency in the Greater Accra Region.
He explained that he had initially decided not to seek re-election as the MP for his constituency because he believed he had completed his political career there. However, after receiving information that the President intended to reshuffle his government and remove ministers who were not seeking re-election, he changed his mind.
“In my mind, I thought I was done with the MP for my constituency, so I wasn’t going to contest again. But in 2023, I had information that the President was going to do a reshuffle and that when he did, all those MPs who had made up their minds not to contest again would be sacked,” he said.
Quartey said he subsequently developed an interest in contesting the parliamentary election because he had been informed that he was likely to be appointed Minister for the Interior.
He cited former Roads and Highways Minister Kwasi Amoako-Atta and former Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Benito Owusu-Bio as among those affected by the decision.
“That is why Amoako-Atta, who was then Roads Minister, Benito Owusu-Bio, who was then a deputy minister and others were asked to step aside because if you don’t want to contest again, then allow the MP who will go to take the position and prepare himself for the election,” he added.
The comments come in the wake of the major ministerial reshuffle undertaken by Akufo-Addo in February 2024.
In a statement dated February 14, 2024 and signed by the then Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, the Presidency announced changes to several ministerial and deputy ministerial positions.
The statement said Akufo-Addo had personally expressed his appreciation to the ministers and deputy ministers who had exited government for their “commitment, competence, dedication and hard work” over the previous seven years.
Following the reshuffle, the then President Akufo-Addo submitted the names of the newly nominated ministers and deputy ministers to Parliament for prior approval, in accordance with Articles 78, 79 and 256 of the 1992 Constitution.
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Ministers relieved of their positions
Ken Ofori-Atta – Finance
Kwaku Agyeman-Manu – Health
Dr Kwaku Afriyie – Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation
Kwasi Amoako-Atta – Roads and Highways
Lariba Abudu – Gender, Children and Social Protection
Dan Botwe – Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development
Freda Prempeh – Sanitation and Water Resource
Ibrahim Mohammed Awal – Tourism, Arts and Culture
Joseph Makubu – Oti Regional Minister
Deputy ministers relieved of their positions
Collins Ntim – Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development
Ama Pomaa Boateng – Communications and Digitalisation
Tina Mensah – Health
Mohammed Asei Seini – Health
Benito Owusu-Bio – Lands and Natural Resources
Moses Anim – Fisheries and Aquaculture Development
William Owuraku Aidoo – Energy
Gifty Twum-Ampofo – Education
Bright Wireko-Brobbey – Employment and Labour Relations
Meanwhile, following his removal from office, former Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Benito Owusu-Bio was later appointed by the then Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, as an adviser on special projects.
His appointment took effect on February 19, 2024.
This is what happened under Akufo-Addo: many NPP MPs and ministers did not care about the country in their second term. They left the citizens to their fate and ignored their needs. They were busy making money and building their resumes. These guys really destroyed Ghana 🇬🇭. pic.twitter.com/Fs4nEIY7oe
— I am Madison 🇺🇸|🇬🇭 (@madison_ben5) August 25, 2026 AM #TrendingGH: 'We have used it for years' - Traders speak on Ethemax use Source: www.ghanaweb.com