Intense lobbying is said to be taking place in the top echelons of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as President-elect John Dramani Mahama puts his government together ahead of his official inauguration as President on Tuesday, 7 January 2025.
With only 60 ministerial and deputy ministerial slots to fill, including 16 regional slots, Asaase News sources close to the president-elect are almost united that the following names and positions are as good as set in stone in the second Mahama administration.
The Chief of Staff at the office of the President will go to Julius Debrah. Sam George, Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, will most likely be appointed as the Minister for Communications.
Mahama Ayariga, the Member of Parliament for Bawku, is likely to be named the Majority Leader. Haruna Iddrisu, Member of Parliament for Tamale South, has been penciled down as Minister for Education, John Jinapor for Energy, Armah Kofi Buah for Lands and Natural Resources, and Cassiel Ato Forson as Minister of Finance.
The current Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin is believed to be lobbying to stay as the Speaker of Parliament but the Speaker’s role is likely to go to a senior member of the NDC who hails from the Volta Region. This is because, the President-elect is said to be largely against appointing a speaker who is from the Northern part of the country.
While it is believed that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank are pushing for Seth Terkper to be named as the finance minister, he is likely to be made the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), a position long reserved for Alhassan Andani, formerly of Stanbic Bank. Mona Quartey is also likely to be appointed as one of two deputy governors of the central bank.
Miss Zanetor Rawlings, the Member of Parliament for Klottey Korle will mostly likely service as the Minister for Health. The Minister for Foreign Affairs role is between Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa and Miss Valerie Sawyer.
However, Okudjeto Ablakwa likely to get the nod because those close to the President-elect John Dramani Mahama argue that the government is better of having Ablakwa out of the way and not cause mischief.
