President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
Ministerial travel ban to last a month
Akufo-Addo issues second directive on ban against travels for ministers
Ban on ministerial travels to ensure parliamentary, domestic duties
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has placed a temporary ban on all Ministers of State and their deputies, at least, for the next one month except travels motivated by serious medical emergencies, sources close to the Presidency confirmed to Asaase News.
This will be the second time President Akufo-Addo, will issue such a directive since he assumed office as President of the Republic in January 2017.
On the 21st of June 2018, the President, in a letter signed by his Chief of Staff, Madam Akosua Frema Osei Opare, directed that all foreign travels by Ministers, Deputy Ministers, MMDCEs and Heads of Government Agencies be temporarily suspended with immediate effect”.
“Guidelines in respect of future foreign travels aimed at minimizing disruption to Government’s domestic work will be communicated to you shortly,” the 2018 directive indicated.
It is not clear what is informing the latest decision of the President to ban all Ministers and their Deputies from travelling outside the Ghanaian jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, it is being speculated that the president’s directive follows the fact that most of the President’s Ministers and Deputy Ministers are serving Members of Parliament and with the pendency of the appropriation of the 2022 budget statement and economic policy of government by Parliament, and may be to ensure that all members of the Majority caucus in Parliament are readily available to carry out domestic and parliamentary work.