President Akufo-Addo has appointed the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour Awuah as the Minister for Pensions.
Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah’s appointment took effect on Monday, January 30.
The appointment is in accordance with Section 211 of the National Pensions Act 2008 (ACT 766).
Per this appointment, Mr Baffour-Awuah will steer the affairs of the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).
Mr Baffour-Awuah made this known when he appeared before the Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday, February 1.
Already, the Minority in Parliament has said it will not approve any new ministerial appointments.
According to the Caucus, the current economic turmoil does not make room for any such appointments.
Prior to Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah’s appointment as Minister of Pensions, he was the Minister of Employment.
Mr Baffuor-Awuah joined the New Patriotic Party and was a member of President Kufour’s government as a District Chief Executive of the Sunyani District Assembly.
He later became the deputy regional minister for the Brong-Ahafo Region and subsequently became the regional minister under the same Kuffour administration.
He ran for Member of Parliament for the Sunyani West constituency and won in the 2008 parliamentary elections. His party, the NPP however lost the presidential election.
He was re-elected as MP in the same constituency in 2012 and 2016. He’s therefore the current MP of the Sunyani West constituency. He served as the deputy minority chief whip from 2013 to 2017.
In May 2017, President Nana Akufo-Addo named Baffour-Awuah as part of 19 ministers who would form his cabinet.
The names of the 19 ministers were submitted to the Parliament of Ghana and announced by the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Prof. Mike Ocquaye.
As a Cabinet minister, Baffour-Awuah is part of the inner circle of the president and is to aid in key decision-making activities in the country.