President swears in more ministers

President John Dramani Mahama has said the government will revoke existing mining leases and licences issued by the previous government and ban the issuance of new leases for mining in forest reserves. 

He said the move was part of the government’s efforts to stop the destructive practice of illegal mining, which had ravaged the country's environment and water resources.

"We shall ban the issuance of leases for mining in all forest reserves, and we shall also revoke all leases issued for the same purpose under the previous government,” he said.

President Mahama gave the charge when he swore in 14 ministers of state at the Presidency in Accra yesterday.

The appointees included Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, Minister of Defence; Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources; Alhaji Mohammed

Mubarak Muntaka, the Interior Ministry, and Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, the Ministry for Gender, Children and Social Protection.

Others were Kenneth Adjei, who heads the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources, and Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum, Minister of State in charge of Special Initiatives.

The President also swore in several regional ministers, including Tia Ibrahim for the North East Region, Dr Frank Amoakohene for the Ashanti Region, Akamugri Atanga Donatus, Upper East Region, Ali Adolf John, Northern Region, and James Gunu for the Volta Region.

Other Regional Ministers were Rita Akosua Awatey for the Eastern Region, John Kwadwo Gyapong for the Oti Region, and Linda Akweley Ocloo for the Greater Accra Region.

President Mahama also announced that no member of his government was permitted to engage in any form of small-scale mining.

"No member of this government is permitted to engage in any form of small-scale mining or galamsey," President Mahama said.

He said the government would establish a River Guard, which would employ youth from communities affected by illegal mining to clean and eliminate toxic substances from Ghana's water bodies, reclaim mined-out lands, and train small-scale miners in sustainable mining practices.

Arrest order

Meanwhile, the President directed the arrest of persons presently mining in any of the forest reserves in the country as the government had not given any permission for any individuals to mine in forest reserves.

“Let me state categorically that this government has not given any person or group of persons any authority to carry out any form of mining in these forest reserves as recently reported,” President Mahama said.

Appointment

Addressing the newly sworn-in ministers, President Mahama said the goal was to form a lean and efficient government.

"Our quest to install the leanest and most efficient government in the history of the Fourth Republic continues unabated," he emphasised.

The President further stressed the importance of merit and integrity in the selection of ministers, stating that "the persons who have taken up positions in this government have done so on merit and are well-placed to deliver in the respective roles that they have been assigned".

President Mahama also highlighted the need for fidelity and prudence in governance, stating that "our recent history shows that there is no correlation between a large resource-guzzling government and effective delivery".

Parliamentary approval

Earlier in the day, Parliament confirmed Dr Omane Boamah as the Minister of Defence of Ghana.

He appeared before the Appointments Committee for his confirmation hearing last Tuesday after responding to a number of questions from committee members.

He answered questions on the role of the military in domestic law enforcement, the deployment of the military in combating galamsey and military deployment at polling stations during elections, among others. 

The approval of Dr Omane Boamah came after the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Bernard Ahiafor, had presented the committee’s ninth report and moved a motion for the House to endorse his nomination.

Mr Ahiafor, who is also the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, said the committee found Dr Omane Boamah very competent, knowledgeable and well-suited for his ministry.

He, therefore, recommended to the House to adopt the committee’s report and by consensus approve him as the Minister of Defence.

“Mr Speaker, the position of the committee was consensus and there was unanimity in recommending him to the House for approval,” he said.

Reservations

The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, said he seconded the motion because he only wanted government business to proceed since the Defence Ministry was a critical ministry that needed a minister.

He, however, expressed strong reservations about the Clerk to the Appointments Committee, who he accused of not sharing the draft report of the committee on the nominee with him as the Ranking Member on the committee.

“Mr Speaker, I have complained, and if we are to pursue it perhaps we will not take this report.

“But I would want to place on record that this same Clerk who, when I was in government, would insist that the Minority Leader must see the draft report before she ferried same to the chair to sign.

“She has now conveniently managed to only get the chair of the committee to sign the report without getting it to my office,” he added.