Three more ministerial nominees appeared before Parliament’s Appointments Committee today [Tuesday].
The Health Minister-nominee, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu; the Education Minister-nominee, Matthew Opoku Prempeh and the Agriculture Minister-nominee, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto appeared before the committee.
Matthew Opoku Prempeh was the first to be vetted, where he spoke on reforms at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), including questioning whether WAEC had to be the sole examination body.
He also lamented that the education sector had focused on training students to pass exams, as he indicated that “we must look at the wholesomeness of our education focusing on other things besides passing exams, like morality.”
Mr. Agyemang-Manu, nomine for health, was asked questions on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) during which he admitted that, his New Patriotic Party’s claims that the previous government had collapsed the NHIS were exaggerated.
The Health Minister-nominee also spoke about funding for the ministry, where he noted that cutting down fraud in the Ministry will enable it get extra funding.
He confidently said, the very least he would do at the Health Ministry would be to improve their financial reporting system.
In line with his government’s agenda for jobs, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto said his government had put in place all arrangements to ensure that the Planting for Food and Jobs is done.
He urged prioritizing the agriculture sector to promote investment, as he stressed that no foreign investor will put money into agriculture, in areas where the needed benefits would not be achieved.
He further assured that his government was committed to ensuing public investment in agriculture.
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Photos: Godwin Allotey
By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana