“I will not countenance any acts of disloyalty or subversion of your Minister, for I will take such an act as disloyalty to me, and, by inference, disloyalty to the Party and the State. Any Deputy, who thinks the route to advancement lies in your ability to subvert or undermine your Minister, will be sadly mistaken. You will not profit from that conduct in Akufo-Addo’s presidency.”
These were the words of the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, when he swore into office the 10 deputy Regional Ministers at the Presidency on Tuesday, March 28, 2017.
Loyalty of the ten deputy regional Ministers to their respective Regional Ministers, according to the President, would be fundamental to the success of their work.
He noted that Article 256 of the Constitution provides that the appointment of deputy Regional Ministers is done not only with the prior approval of Parliament, but also with the prior knowledge and, impliedly, the consent of their respective Regional Ministers.
He, therefore, urged the 10 deputy Regional Ministers “to work with your Minister in all sincerity and transparency. That is the guarantee of your success, and our collective success.”
The President also urged the deputy Regional Ministers to speedily declare their assets, as all 36 of the Ministers of the central government have duly filled their assets declaration.
“We must jealously guard the commitment we have made to the Ghanaian people that we have come to do public service, not advance our own personal fortunes. As you know, I am complying with the requirement in our manifesto to notify the Auditor General of the names of all Article 71 office holders, such as yourselves, of your appointment,” he said.
With all 10 deputy Regional Ministers “carefully chosen for their positions”, the President was “confident that the various backgrounds and experiences of all of you will bring value to the governance of our nation, and enable us also to deliver on the commitments of our manifesto, the sacred compact that ties us in the NPP to the Ghanaian people.”
President Akufo-Addo thanked the Speaker of Parliament and the Members of Parliament “for the speedy manner in which they are fulfilling their constitutional duties in approving my nominees for ministerial office. Their conduct enhances the welfare of our Republic. Long may it continue.”
