President evaluates ministers’ performance

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Monday began an exercise to evaluate the performance of ministers at the Flagstaff House.

The first batch of four ministers, comprising Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, the Minister of National Security; Mr Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, Trade and Industry; Mr Dan Kwaku Botwe, National Re-organisation and Development, and Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.

Each of the ministers had an hour of face-to-face meeting with the President, his Vice and the Chief of Staff behind closed doors

The evaluation exercise is in line with the setting up of the Ministry of Monitoring and Evaluation, a new ministry created by the President and headed by Dr Anthony Akoto Osei.

The main aim of the exercise is for the President to assess the performance of his appointees, taking into consideration their mandates and how they dovetail into the overall developmental agenda of the government.

The assessment began at a time when speculations were rife for a ministerial reshuffle.

Although there is no official indication of any reshuffle, independent reports say the Minister of Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr Akoto Osei, has already presented a report to the President regarding the performance of his appointees and that that report will serve as the basis for the assessment.

At 9 a.m. on Monday, Mr Kan-Dapaah was spotted at the Office of the President where he had to perform his perfunctory role of briefing the President on the security situation in the country at the start of the new week.

Although the meeting was not open to the media, Dr Akoto Osei had, earlier in a radio interview, given indications that the assessment was important to the development of the country.

He said it was crucially important for the President to independently have conversations with his appointees to see the way forward.

That, he said, was normal and that the report he had submitted to the President was not to determine whether or not to keep a minister but assess how well the government was delivering its results.