Profile of 1st batch of Akufo-Addo’s minister designates

President Nana Akufo-Addo on Tuesday announced his first batch of 13 ministerial appointees. The names have already been submitted to Parliament for vetting and approval.

Below are profiles of the various ministers designate

Yaw Osafo Maafo – Senior Minister

Yaw Osafo-Maafo is 75 years old, and has had an exemplary career as a banker, consultant, politician and a statesman.

He is a graduate of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, an Engineer and Project Analyst by training, and a fellow of the Ghana Institute of Engineers.

He started his career as an engineer at the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO).

He went on to head and successfully restructure two major development banks – The Bank for Housing and Construction and The National Investment Bank.

He has also worked as a consultant for international development organisations such as the World Bank, African Development Bank (ADB), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) amongst others

Yaw Osafo-Maafo was a Member of Parliament for Akyem Oda Constituency for 3 terms and the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning for 4 years from 2001-2005, a period which saw the dramatic turnaround of the Ghanaian economy.

His achievements were recognised internationally in 2001 when he was adjudged the best Finance Minister of the year in Africa by the Banker Magazine, a Financial Times Publication.

Along with the Finance Minister of Canada, he was also named the Finance Minister of the Year in November 2001 by the World Economic Forum in Davos.

He served as Minister for Education and Sports from 2005 to 2006, a period which saw the implementation of significant reforms in education and sports sectors, including the introduction of the Capitation Grant.

Ghana for the first time qualified for the World Cup following the reforms under his leadership.

Osafo-Maafo has served on the boards of various financial institutions and corporates, and was the past Vice-President of the Executive Committee of the West African Bankers Association.

He was a founding Deputy Chairman of the Ghana Stock Exchange, and was instrumental in setting up Donewell Insurance Company and the Methodist University College Ghana.

He also represented the Institute of Engineers at the Consultative Assembly that drew up the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.

He is currently the Co-Chairman of the Transition Team, representing His Excellency the President, for the newly elected Government of Ghana.

He is married with four Children.

Kan Dapaah – National Security

Albert Kan Dapaah is a Chartered Accountant by profession and a former President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana.

He was a fromer partner in the international accounting firm, Pannell Kerr Forster. He worked in the Electricity Company of Ghana as the Director of Finance for six years before entering the Parliament of Ghana in January 1997.

He was the Minority Spokesman on Mines and Energy from 1997 to 2000. In 2001, he joined the government of President Kufuor and served in the Ministries of Energy, Communications, Interior and Defence between 2001 and 2008.

From 2009 to 2012, he chaired the Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament of Ghana. He left Parliament at the end of 2012, and has since been adjunct lecturer in Auditing and the Director of the Centre for Public Accountability at the University of Professional Studies, Accra.

Alan Kyerematen – Trade & Industry

Alan is a graduate in Economics from the University of Ghana, and a qualified Barristerat-Law from the Ghana School of Law. In addition, he was a Hubert Humphrey Fellow at the University of Minnesota, under the US Fulbright Fellowship Programme.

In 1994, Alan Kyerematen was listed as one of the top 100 Leaders in the world for the New Millennium by the Time International Magazine.

Mr. Kyerematen has an extensive and a distinguished record in international development and public policy, trade and enterprise development, politics and diplomacy.

He is an Economist, a Lawyer and a Management Consultant. His previous appointments include Cabinet Minister of Trade, Industry and Presidential Special Initiatives of Ghana; Ambassador of Ghana to the United States of America; UNECA Senior Policy Advisor on Trade; UNDP Regional Director for Enterprise Africa; CEO of Empretec Ghana Foundation, and a Senior Corporate Executive of Unilever-Ghana.

In 2013, the Heads of States of the African Union endorsed his nomination as Africa’s candidate for the position of Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Alan speaks English and French. He is married with two children.

Ken Ofori-Atta – Finance

Ken Ofori-Atta is 57 years old. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Columbia University in New York, and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.

He was the first African to be honoured as a Donaldson Fellow at Yale University in 2010, a John Jay Fellow at Columbia University in 2011 and also a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute.

Ken was also the first African to testify at the US Congress Ways and Means Committee to support the AGOA law. He was twice honoured by Price Water House Ghana as one of the Top 5 Most Respected CEOs in Ghana.

Ken was an investment banker at Morgan Stanley and Salomon Brothers on Wall Street in New York, before co-founding the Databank Group (an investment banking firm) in Ghana.

He was the Executive Chairman from 1990 until his retirement on February 14, 2012.

Ken has been Chairman and Board member of the following corporates: Family Ventures and Offices in Ghana; Chairman of Trust Bank Ltd in The Gambia; International Bank of Liberia, Bank of Kigali in Rwanda, Enterprise Life in Ghana, and pan-African Databank AgriFund for SME Agribusiness with investments in Madagascar, Cameroun, Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Ethiopia.

Ken has other business interests in Insurance, Retail Banking, Private Equity, Micro finance, Pharmaceuticals and Real Estate.

He is married to Prof. Angela Ofori-Atta of the University of Ghana Medical School, and they have four children.

Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto – Agriculture

Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto is 69 years old. He is a graduate of the University of Ghana, Legon, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture.

He furthered his education at the University of Cambridge, England, where he obtained a Master of Science in Agric Economics, and in 1985 obtained a Ph.D. in Agric Economics.

He worked as an Economist, Senior Economist, Principal Economist, and Chief Economic Advisor over a period of 18 years at the International Coffee Organization (ICO), London, England.

He also worked as a consultant to the World Bank, United Nations on Soft Commodities (Cocoa, Coffee, Sugar).

From 1995 to 2008, he was the CEO of Goldcrest Commodities Limited, and the CEO of Plantation Resources Limited.

He is a two-term Member of Parliament for Kwadaso, and, whilst in Parliament, from 2009 to 2012, was the Deputy Ranking Member for Committee on Food and Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs. He became the Ranking Member for the Committee on Food and Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs from 2013 to 2017.

He is married with 8 children.

Boakye Agyarko - Energy

Boakye Agyarko is 60 years old. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of Ghana, Legon; an Advanced Professional Certificate in Banking from the American Institute of Banking and an MBA in Financial Economics from the Pace University, New York.

He held a Vice President position at the Bank of New York, in New York, and in over 20 years at the Bank, he worked at senior levels in various departments, including Operations Management and Analysis, Product Development, Global Network Managements, International Banking and Asset Management and the Y2K Management Group.

His responsibilities in these various departments and positions included international trade finance, loan syndications, asset securitization and structured finance.

He is a member of the American Economic Association, and an Associate of the American Institute of Bankers.

He served as the National Campaign Manager of the New Patriotic Party for the 2012 Elections, and served as Policy Advisor for the President’s 2016 electioneering campaign. He is a Consultant to Capital Economics and Investments, a start-up economic analysis and investments group in Accra, Ghana.

Dominic Nitiwul – Defence

Hon. Dominic Nitiwul is a 39 year old legislator with 11 years of experience in legislative work.

He was educated in Ghana, Germany and United Kingdom. In Germany he obtained two certificates in Conflict Prevention and Conflict Management from the International Academy for Leadership in 2003 and 2005.

In the United Kingdom he obtained Masters of Business Administration (Finance) from the University of South Wales as well as a Masters of Laws in Corporate Finance Law (LLM Corporate Finance) from the University of Westminster.

He is currently a Member of both the Ghanaian Parliament (MP for Bimbilla) and the Pan-African Parliament.

He has been the Deputy Minority Leader of the Ghanaian Parliament with 4 years of experience.

He has served in various committees in the Ghanaian Parliament and the Pan-African Parliament. These committees include; Finance Committee, Monetary and Financial Affairs Committee, Business Committee, Appointment Committee, Youth and Sports Committee, Roads and Transport Committee as well as Education Committee.

He is married with 4 children.

Ambrose Dery – Interior

Ambrose Dery is 61 years, a lawyer. He graduated from the University of Ghana, Legon, in 1980, with an LLB (Hons) and was called to the Bar in 1982.

He was deputy Attorney General under President Kufuor from 2003 to 2004, and then appointed Upper West Regional Minister from 2005 to 2007.

He was also a Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice from 2007 to 2008, and became Member of Parliament for Lawra/Nandom from 2009 to 2013.

Within the period 2009 to 2013, he was the Deputy Minority Leader of Parliament, a Member of the Pan African Parliament, leader of the Pan African Parliament’s Observer Mission to the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections of Namibian November 2009, and a leader of the Pan African Parliament fact finding mission to La Cote d’Ivoire.

He is the MP for Nandom, and is married with one child.

Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey – Foreign Affairs

Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey is 53 years old. She is a product of the University of Ghana Business School, University of Westminster, London, Ghana Institute of Journalism, GIMPA and Pitman Central College. She holds an Executive MBA (Project Management option), an MA in Public communication, Certificate in Marketing Management, and a Diploma in Public Relations and Advertising.

Before entering frontline politics, she run a successful Marketing Communications Company, and was a consultant for the Ministry of Tourism. She has worked in various organizations such as Worldspace Ghana, Divestiture Implementation Committee, Glaxo Group Research and Hodge Recruitment in the area of administration.

In the last NPP administration under President Kufuor, she served as Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Minister for Information, and Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry. She is a fourth term legislator who represented the most populous constituency in the country, Weija, for two terms, and is currently in her second term representing the people of Anyaa/Sowutuom.

Between 2009 and 2013, she served as Ranking Member on Foreign Affairs, and was also the party's spokesperson on Foreign Affairs. She has also served on the appointments, defense and interior committees of parliament.

Between 2013 and 2017, she was a member of the ECOWAS parliament, and serving as Vice Chair of the on NEPAD & APRM committees. She is also on the Gender and Children’s committee.

She is a mother of two.

Gloria Akuffo – Attorney General

Gloria Afua Akuffo is 62 years old. She attended the University of Ghana and obtained a joint degree in Law and Political Science in 1979. She qualified as a lawyer from the Ghana School of Law in 1982 and she has been on the roll of lawyers of the Ghana Bar for 34 years.

She started her private practice from Ameyi Chambers, a firm of lawyers, in Accra and was a founding partner of Owusu-Yeboa, Akuffo & Associates. Presently she practices from Blay & Associates. She is an Arbitrator at the Ghana Arbitration Centre and is also on the list of arbitrators of the National Labour Commission.

From 2001 to 2004, she served as the first female Deputy Attorney-General of Ghana, the first 2 years of which were under the Attorney General of the time, Nana Akufo-Addo.

She was appointed the first female Deputy Greater-Accra Regional Minister in 2005. In 2006, she set up a Ministry of Aviation, having been appointed the first Minister for the sector.

She is a Private Legal Practitioner and an Arbitrator.

She has two children.

Hajia Alima Mahama – Local Government

Hajia Alima Mahama is 59 years old and a product of the University of Ghana, Legon graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Law and Sociology, and was subsequently called to Ghana Bar in 1982. She had her postgraduate studies in Public Policy and Development Planning and Administration from the Rutgers University and the University of Ottawa.

She was also at the Institute of Social Studies, in the Netherlands, where she obtained a Masters in Development Studies.

As a lawyer, development planner, trainer, public servant and consultant, she has developed strong leadership skills to respond to challenges at different levels and circumstances in the areas of policy advice and strategic leadership.

She has had 13 years of experience as senior planner and gender/development coordinator for the Northern Region Rural Integrated Program.

Between 2001 and 2008, she served in the government of John Agyekum Kufuor, firstly as the Minister for Women and Children Affairs; Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry; and Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development. In the latter appointment, she directed and coordinated the development of the comprehensive policy and plan of action on decentralization for Ghana, and was responsible for the World Bank supported Urban Infrastructure Development Program.

She is the Member of Parliament for the Nalerigu/Gambaga constituency, having been elected as MP for the constituency for the first time in 2005.

She has one son and two grandchildren.

Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh - Education

Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh is 49 years old. He studied Human Biology and Medicine at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and had his Master’s degree in Clinical Epidemiology in the Netherlands Institute of Health Sciences.

He furthered his studies at Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, where he studied Leadership and Government.

Dr. Prempeh worked as a Medical Doctor in Ghana and United Kingdom. He is a Surgeon and a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of the United Kingdom.

He subsequently became the CEO of Keyedmap Security Services Limited.

He is currently the serving Member of Parliament for Manhyia South Constituency having previously been the Member of Parliament for Manhyia Constituency.

As a Member of Parliament, he has served on committees such as Health, Appointments, Special Budget, and Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation.

Kwaku Agyemang Manu - Health

Kwaku Agyeman Manu is 62 years old. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Statistics, and is an Associate Chartered Management Accountant.

From 1990 to 1994 he was an accountant at Mim Timber Company Limited, and was the Director of Finance at Toyota Ghana Limited.

Under the government of President Kufuor, he served in various ministries as a Deputy Minister of State in the following Ministries: Trade and Industry, Interior, Finance, Communications, and Roads and Transport. He has served on the Boards of institutions such as the Small Arms Commission of Ghana, the Ghana Revenue Authority, Bank of Ghana, and the Divestiture Implementation Committee.

He was also the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority in 2006.

He is the MP for Dormaa Central, and is married with 6 children.