Parliament to grill Mahama’s Minister-designates tomorrow

The first public hearing of the Committee on Appointments of the Ninth Parliament is set to consider the first 3 nominations of President John Dramani Mahama on Monday, January 13, 2025 at Parliament House.

The 3 individuals, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson (MP, Ajumako/Enyan/Essiam), John A. Jinapor (MP, Yapei/Kusawgu), and Dr. Dominic Akurintinga Ayine (MP, Bolgatanga East) have been nominated by the President to serve as Minister of Finance, Minister of Energy and Green Transition, and the Attorney General and Minister of Justice respectively subject to parliamentary approval.

The Nominees

1. Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the current majority leader is an Economist, Chartered Accountant and Tax Practitioner with extensive experience in public finance, macroeconomics, fiscal policy, tax policy and business management. He is a 5-term Member of Parliament for the Ajumako/Enyan/Essiam constituency. Dr. Forson holds a PhD in Finance from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Master of Science degrees in Taxation and Economics from the University of Oxford and KNUST respectively. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from London South Bank University. He has served as a Deputy Minister of Finance in the John Mahama 1.0 administration; Ranking Member of the Finance Committee in the Seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic, and later the Minority Leader in the Eighth Parliament. In 2021, he mounted a fiery challenge to government’s introduction of the controversial “E-Levy” which was passed nonetheless but as the minority leader, he pushed for the revision of the E-Levy rate from 1.5% to 1% during the consideration of the Appropriation for the 2023 Budget.
2. John Abdulai Jinapor is a 4-term Member of Parliament for the Yapei-Kusawgu constituency. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Economic Policy Management, an MBA in Marketing and a Master of Science degree in Energy Economics from the Ghana Institute for Management and Public Administration and a Postgraduate Diploma in Finance and Financial Law from the University of London. He has served as Deputy Minister of Energy in the John Mahama 1.0 administration; Ranking Member of the Energy Committee of the Seventh and Eighth Parliaments of the Fourth Republic. Coming into this role, Mr. Jinapor brings a wealth of hands-on experience, competence, and know-how to the energy portfolio. With his extensive qualifications, particularly in energy economics and finance, he is expected to bring much-needed dynamism and capabilities to transform the energy sector.
3. Dr. Dominic Akurintinga Ayine is a 4-term Member of Parliament for the Bolgatanga East constituency. He is a senior lawyer with three decades of experience in practice. He holds a PhD in Law from Stanford University, a Master of Laws (LLM) from the University of Michigan Law School, and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Ghana. Dr. Ayine served as Deputy Attorney General in the John Mahama 1.0 presidency; Chairman of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee in the Seventh and Eighth Parliaments. He is the founding partner of Ayine & Partners Law Offices, and has also lectured at the University of Ghana Law School for many years.

The Appointments Committee, chaired by the First Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor (MP, Akatsi South), by its mandate and pursuant to the standing orders of Parliament received a referral by the Speaker on Thursday, January 9 on the nominees for consideration and report.

The 11-member Committee will hold a public hearing to vet the credentials of the nominees and present a report to plenary within 3 days after the hearing with a recommendation for approval or otherwise.

Parliament is on break until Tuesday, January 21, however the Appointments Committee will proceed with the vetting of the President’s nominees on Monday and prepare a report to be taken first thing on January 21 by the plenary.

Source: Ceditalk.com