Akufo-Addo’s major ministerial reshuffle: Does it matter now?

After the ‘Bawumia Speaks’ last week Wednesday February 7, 2024, many media houses were pontificating that there would be a ministerial shakeup by President Akufo-Addo on Valentine's Day. I have been skeptical, and obviously not enthused about it and its impact on the living conditions of Ghanaians with just 10 months left to go to the general elections this year.

President Akufo-Addo has never believed in ministerial reshuffle when he became President in 2017 until date.

When the NDC Party and other well-meaning Ghanaians made it apparently clear to President Akufo-Addo to reshuffle his Ministers to allow for fresh energy and ideas from incoming Ministers to achieve high performance, he publicly debanked that and said his Ministers were performing very well and no need to do any reshuffle.

Even in his second and last term beginning from 2021, President Akufo-Addo still saw no need to undertake any major ministerial reshuffle except to do what I termed to as ‘pseudo-reshuffle’(see: https://www.modernghana.com/news/1214150/pseudo-reshuffle-by-president-akufo-addo-is-ken.html).

President Akufo-Addo was only interested in pseudo-reshuffles or fill-in reshuffles where he only filled in vacant positions as result of resignations of Presidential Hopefuls such as Alan Kyeremanteng, Dr. Akoto Osei, etc. from his government to contest in NPP Presidential primaries last year.

I am tempted to believe that President Akufo-Addo is seriously conflicted in his own nepotistic government where his cousins in and outside of government make it difficult for him to do any meaningful ministerial reshuffles till now.

Despite several calls on President Akufo-Addo from Ghanaians including the Opposition NDC and over 90 NPP MPs to reshuffle or sack the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta for his abysmal performance, the President ignored such genuine calls and kept the Finance Minister, his cousin in office till date.

Understandably, President Akufo-Addo cherishes familial relationships than the good of all Ghanaians. This is highly unfortunate because he is the President for all Ghanaians but not for the interest of his Akyem family members.

The worsening general economic woes including numerous taxes, corruption scandals and failed promises of this Akufo-Addo-Bawumia-led regime are partly attributable to the lack of fresh energy and ideas despite the large-sized government in place.

Looking at only 10 months left to conduct the high-stakes general elections, this major ministerial reshuffle including that of Ken Ofori-Atta's removal now will not yield any meaningful results in terms of development since over 7 years have already been badly managed.

Any form of political manoeuvres now by this governing NPP government led by Akufo-Addo and Dr. Bawumia will not safe this badly performing regime from serious political defeat in the upcoming general elections!

Although President Akufo-Addo is constitutionally permitted to do late major reshuffle now, Ghanaians are no more bothered about this too late major ministerial reshuffle including the removal of Ken Ofori-Atta.

The reason being that any ministerial reshuffle now will not yield any needed transformative results before this unpopular, insensitive Akudo-Addo-Bawumia-led government leaves office next year by January 6, 2025. Thus, it is much ado about nothing in my opinion; the anticipated ministerial reshuffle does not matter now! Today's major ministerial shakeup by President Akufo-Addo is too little too late.