Roads and Highways Ministry is the pivot to national development, therefore Ministers to that Ministry must be smart technocrats who must have some knowledge in the construction industry, for example Civil Engineering, Architecture, Quantity Surveying etc.
Mr Kwame Agbodza when he was the ranking for Roads and Transport committee really demonstrated knowledge on the road sector. Now the substantive Minister for that Ministry, his performance so far is very encouraging, and his field inspection has brought some relief to commuters on the Motorway Dawhenya stretch and Motorway Afienya stretch. He was able to detect structural defect on some of the roads he inspected. His dialogue with the contractors appears cordial and we hope he takes this opportunity to flush out the quarks contractors from the system.
Investment in the construction industry for example, Roads, Highways and Bridges are very huge, therefore appointing political favourites or half baked politicians as Ministers for the Ministry must stop. The current Minister is an accomplished professional architect who has adequate knowledge in the construction industry. He has the capacity to identify shoodying and defective works as compared to the former who is a lawyer who relied on briefing from technocrats at the ministry which at times makes him to becomes emotional and frustrated.
Some ministries are very strategic and required ministers that have adequate knowledge on the functions of the ministry, therefore the logic that only the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice requires a legal brain as Ministers cannot be solely appropriate.
President John Mahama has made some interesting appointments and the performance of the individual will definitely influence his subsequent appointments
Mrs Gizela Tetteh Agbotui deputy minister for Works and Housing and an accomplished architect, exhibited her technical knowledge when they visited the flood prone areas on their field inspection, she easily diagnosed the challenges at Mallam junction and other flood prone sites in the Greater Accra Region and suggested solutions to the challenges.
The best pair Mr Eric Opoku a farmer and agriculturist, Mr John Dumelo a farmer and entrepreneur as Minister and Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, Even though the murmuring that greeted Mr John Setor Dumelo a first term Member of Parliament appointment, that did not sway the president from his conviction that Mr John Dumelo has shown great interest in farming and capable to perform the role of a deputy minister at the Food and Agriculture Ministry.
There are a lot more first term Members of Parliament very well accomplished medical doctors, who have cut niche for themselves before coming to parliament. The likes of Prof Grace Ayensu Danquah, Prof Titus Beyuo, Dr Thomas Anaba and others.
The president have identified a position best fit for Prof. Titus Beyuo as the Board Chair of Korle – Bu teaching hospital. The rest are capable of supporting Mr Akandoh the Health Minister to accomplish his mandate with success.
Prof. Grace Ayensu Danquah would have been serving her second term in parliament, if the 2020 parliamentary election results was not tilted to favour the incumbent member of parliament. She was deeply frustrated to abandon her parliamentary petition when she realized justice would not be serve. Dr Thomas Anaba also had his share of frustration when power changed hands in 2017.
The majority side of parliament is replete with well accomplished medical doctors and it appears if any of the first term MPs per chance appointed as the deputy minister might generate similar murmuring that greeted Mr John Setor Dumelo’s appointment.
Most of the ministers who are doing well in their specific ministries are experts in their fields of training or they devoted their energies in acquiring additional skills in other professional discipline.
Mike Kalley
Sociopolitical Analyst.
