Pulse Picks: Ghanaian ministers who made headlines in 2022

For instance, starting with the most recent one involving the debt exchange programme that the government has proposed to Ghanaian investors has generated so much disaffection, with workers' unions, individual investors, and investment and fund management companies being up in arms with the government due to fear of losing the hard-earned investments.

Ken Ofori-Atta:

The government, led by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta has insisted that the debt exchange is the only panacea to gaining respite from the economic crisis the country has been plunged into.

Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta ece-auto-gen

It appears that Ofori-Atta is the most popular of all the ministers of this government as he happens to be at the centre of several controversies that made news headlines in the year 2022.

Aside from the members of the opposition National Democratic Congress caucus in parliament initiating vote of a censure motion against him which eventually failed to remove him for lack of requisite numbers to form a quorum, the incumbent NPP MPs too protested against him remaining the finance minister, accusing him of mismanagement of the economy, plunging it into a hopeless trench.

Ursula Owusu-Ekuful:

Another minister who made it into the news headlines this year is Ursula Owosu-Ekuful, the minister in charge of Communication and Digitalisation.

Ursula Owusu-Ekuful – Minister responsible for Communications and Digitalisation Pulse Ghana

The ongoing SIM re-registration exercise and how she appears to have turned deaf ears to all criticisms and remains bent on carrying it through at all costs got the majority of Ghanaians talking, especially as the policy decision meant that people who failed to re-register their SIM cards risked losing their phone numbers.

Both the telecommunication companies and the general public, including Civil Society Organisations, political parties and so on were opposed to the exercise, but the government led by the National Communications Authority and the sector ministry carried it through regardless.

Dr Akoto Owusu-Afriyie:

Agric Minister Dr Akoto Owusu-Afriyie angered Ghanaians and went viral as he insisted that the government’s flagship programme, Planting for Food and Jobs has resulted in bumper harvest and that the high cost of food prices must be blamed on greed and excessive profiteering by traders.

Dr Owusu Akoto Afriyie Dr Owusu Akoto Afriyie Pulse Ghana

Ghanaians who were feeling the pinch of the skyrocketing food prices disagreed with him, with many people saying that he had lost touch with reality.

In a bid to prove a point, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture decided to set up markets at its premises to sell food produce it claimed was from the Planting for Food and Job programme, at cheaper prices. It later moved the market to the Agbogblosie market to make it more accessible.

The PFJ market however appears to have failed as reports indicate that its activities have halted, with speculations being rife that the ministry has run out of stock already.

Sarah Adwoa Sarfo:

The Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Sarfo at a point became the most wanted in Ghana with many people including her constituents calling for her sack from the New Patriotic Party and as the then Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection.

Hon. Adwoa Safo Pulse Ghana

She had travelled to the United States of America for health reasons and her ministry had to be added to that of another minister to manage while she was away for many months.

Her colleagues in the NPP caucus in parliament initiated an impeachment process against her because they said she was holding them and the party to ransom by refusing to turn up to vote on government businesses that come before the house.

Eventually, after many calls on the president to fire her, he revoked her appointment although she had enjoyed free salaries for many months she stayed away from her parliamentary and ministerial jobs.

She angered Ghanaians more when a video of her emerged on Instagram in which she was dancing and speaking in an American accent, a move that was seen as disrespectful to the Ghanaian taxpayer and her constituents.

Samuel Abu Jinapor:

Aside from the unending illegal mining activities which the Minister of Land and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor is struggling to end, he also made news headlines following the declassification of portions of the Achimota Forest and handing them over to the Owoo family said to be the allodial owners of the land.

Samuel Abu Jinapor Pulse Ghana

The development sparked litigation over the said land with other families claiming ownership of the land in question.

The declassification move triggered condemnation among the Ghanaian populace, with some people speculating that it was a clandestine means to share the forest among cronies and party members.

The controversy heightened further when it came to light that the late Kojo Owusu Afriyie aka Sir John, who was the Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission had portions of the Achimota Forest in his will as his possession which he willed to his family members.

Francis Asenso-Boakye:

Recently, the Minister for Works and Housing announced that the government was intending to sell the long-abandoned Saglemi Affordable Housing project to a private investor.

Francis Asenso-Boakye Pulse Ghana

According to him, the aim was to raise money to reinvest in affordable housing for Ghanaians.

The announcement did not go down well with Ghanaians who have been calling for the completion of the multi-million-dollar project for suffering workers and taxpayers to occupy.

Later, the minority side of the parliamentary committee on Works and Housing visited the project site and discovered that cables and other fittings had been stolen.