Business News of Wednesday, 29 January 2025

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Franklin Cudjoe kicks against President Mahama's special initiatives ministry

Founding President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe Founding President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe

The founding President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has raised objections to President John Dramani Mahama’s nomination of a Minister of State for Special Initiatives.

According to the policy analyst, the records of the portfolio under the erstwhile Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo administration prove that the state did not get value for money. He has thus called on the president to reassign his nominee as a deputy minister for another ministry.

“JM, no need for this Minister of State for Special Initiatives. Please reassign him to deputize for one of the ministries. The last time we had a Ministry for Special Initiatives, dugouts were priced at 250k & $1m per constituency,” he wrote on his Facebook wall on Tuesday, January 28, 2025.

A version of the Ministry of Special Initiatives existed in the first term of President Akufo-Addo under the name Ministry of Special Development Initiatives and was headed by Mavis Hawa Koomson.

The ministry was established to focus on local infrastructural development with an emphasis on social and economic initiatives. It was part of a broader strategy to address chronic unemployment, poverty alleviation, and infrastructural deficits in regions like northern Ghana.

Some initiatives spearheaded under the ministry include the One Village One Dam, One District One Warehouse, and the One District One Ambulance.

Despite some successes reported under the ministry, there have been criticisms on issues of procurement and expenditure undertaken by the ministry.

As part of the formation of his newly inaugurated government, President John Dramani Mahama nominated Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum as Minister of State in Charge of Special Initiatives.

The nominee faced Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Tuesday, January 28, 2025.

GA/EK