Minister of State of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu
President John Dramani Mahama has fulfilled the constitutional requirement of composing a 19-member cabinet, marking a significant step in setting the direction for his administration.
The cabinet, chaired by the president himself, will be responsible for shaping national policies and guiding governance.
The Minister of State of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, made the announcement on Thursday, February 20, 2025, after the first cabinet meeting.
He stated, “As you may be aware, the constitutional requirement is that Cabinet must be made up of 19 ministers. And so, the first point of business is to put together this body of 19 ministers chaired by the president himself.”
The newly-formed Cabinet includes ministers for key sectors such as finance, interior, health, defence, energy and green transition; trade, agribusiness and industry, and foreign affairs.
In addition to the 19 cabinet ministers, several other ministers attended the first cabinet meeting.
These included the Minister of Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams; Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo; Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Emelia Arthur; and Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie.
“So, the following ministers were in attendance at cabinet today, the Minister of Sports and Recreation, the Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Minister of State in charge of Special Initiatives and my good self, the Minister for State responsible for Government Communications, the Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability, and the Minister of State Public Sector Reforms,” he noted.
Kwakye Ofosu further outlined the purpose of the meeting.
“Today’s session primarily was to introduce cabinet and ensure that people have a handle on what exactly the expectation is of them. The ground rules were set out, and important briefings on matters relating to governance took place,” he indicated.
Felix Kwakye Ofosu further indicated that one of the key topics that was addressed was on national security.
“The general view emanating from the briefing was that Ghana’s security was strong, we are a safe country, and people are free to go about their normal activities without hindrance. Whatever threats exist, our security agencies have the capacity to deal with them,” he emphasised.
He noted that the Presidential Advisor on the 24-Hour Economy, Augustus Goosie Tannoh, also provided updates on preparations towards the roll-out of the policy.
“The second briefing was made by the Presidential Advisor on the 24-Hour Economy and accelerated export development. He briefed cabinet on preparations so far towards a full roll-out of the 24-Hour Economy.
“And one was left with the impression that tremendous work had gone into what is arguably President Mahama’s foremost transformation plan, which aims to convert the Ghanaian economy from its present state into one that never sleeps and works around the clock,” he remarked.
He further announced that the third briefing during the meeting was by the Minister of Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.
“The final briefing was made by the minister responsible for finance. As you may be aware, we campaigned strong on Ghana’s failing economy and indeed, our fears were born out when the finance minister made his briefing. The situation is dire,” he noted.
He continued, “The numbers are even worse than we had known in the period of the elections. But the minister, the president and others involved in the management of the economy were confident that the proposals, the policy propositions and the program that President Mahama has put on the table were sufficient to turn around the situation and lift the (sic) of economic hardship and despair that has hanged over this country and its people all these years under the New Patriotic Party, where economic mismanagement and imprudent decision making was commonplace. In a few days’ time, President Mahama will be addressing Parliament.”
Watch the video below:
WATCH LIVE | Minister for Gov’t Communications briefs the press after the first cabinet meeting https://t.co/Aj8p9g9O0g
— John Dramani Mahama (@JDMahama) February 20, 2025
JKB/AE
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