{"id":1095004,"date":"2022-05-21T19:00:37","date_gmt":"2022-05-21T19:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/05\/21\/the-only-time-adwoa-safos-absence-bothered-akufo-addo-video\/"},"modified":"2022-05-21T19:00:37","modified_gmt":"2022-05-21T19:00:37","slug":"the-only-time-adwoa-safos-absence-bothered-akufo-addo-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/05\/21\/the-only-time-adwoa-safos-absence-bothered-akufo-addo-video\/","title":{"rendered":"The only time Adwoa Safo\u2019s absence bothered Akufo-Addo [Video]"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Gender activist, Affi Agbenyo has highlighted what she sees as neglect of the Gender Ministry by the Akufo-Addo government since the substantive Minister, Sarah Adwoa Safo left her post over 8-months ago.<\/p>\n<p>According to her, \u201cthe only time the Minister\u2019s absence bothered the Presidency was when the Minister was needed as a Parliamentarian to cast her vote for the E-Levy bill to be passed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A move, the activist says is unfair, particularly at a time when the marginalised and the vulnerable are suffering.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Screenshot-191-1024x576.png\" alt=\"The only time Gender Minister\u2019s absence bothered Akufo-Addo was during E-Levy passage - Agbenyo laments social protection situation\" class=\"wp-image-10032090383\" title=\"The only time Gender Minister\u2019s absence bothered Akufo-Addo was during E-Levy passage - Agbenyo laments social protection situation\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Speaking on\u00a0<strong>JoyNews\u2019 Newsfile<\/strong>, Madam Agbenyo said the Ministry needs a leader who will initiate innovative interventions to cushion the vulnerable and prospective beneficiaries.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/22191989129,1002554\/MGL\/mgl_ado_atunwa_300x250 --><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMore than ever the Ministry of Gender is leaderless with a caretaker minister who is undoubtedly overwhelmed with her own responsibilities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn such difficult times which we all agree, the most vulnerable of us, the most marginalized of us require innovative interventions from government to survive but there is no Ministry taking care of us,\u201d she said on Saturday.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"vv6SoOP_mIQ\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The only time Gender Minister\u2019s absence bothered Akufo-Addo was during E-Levy passage - Agbenyo\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vv6SoOP_mIQ?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>On October 6, 2021, President Akufo-Addo extended the leave of absence from office, for the Gender Minister.<\/p>\n<p>The Dome-Kwabenya MP\u2019s leave, which she sought for personal reasons, was supposed to have ended on August 31, 2021.<\/p>\n<p>However, the former Procurement Minister was unable to resume and requested an extension. It did not, however, state when she will resume.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u201cIn her absence, and until further notice, President Akufo-Addo has directed the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, to act as caretaker Minister,\u201d the Presidency said.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this year, the lawmaker came under fire for neglecting her Parliamentary duties amid speculations that she has vowed not to return until given a leadership role in the House.<\/p>\n<p>Miss Adwoa Safo was last seen in Parliament in December 2021, when she appeared in the House to dismiss claims by the Minority Caucus that she was impersonated.<\/p>\n<p>She has since not returned to the Chamber. Her action has infuriated her colleagues who have accused her of blackmailing government with a list of demands,  the Deputy Majority Leader post.<\/p>\n<p>This has infuriated some colleague MPs and members of the NPP who are calling for her removal.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu has indicated that the Majority Caucus does not factor Dome-Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Safo, into its deliberations.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Bekwai MP, all avenues to get the absentee MP to return to the House have proved futile.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, the Majority in Parliament has resolved to conduct parliamentary business, going forward, without recourse to the Dome-Kwabenya MP.https:\/\/e813cb15c68ec4c18033c178d139ac0f.safeframe.googlesyndication.com\/safeframe\/1-0-38\/html\/container.html<\/p>\n<p>Speaking on Kumasi-based Pure FM, Mr Osei-Owusu said, \u201cin our strategy, we have taken it as going to rescue a kidnapped person, you presume she is dead, but if you go and she is alive, then it is God\u2019s grace, and it adds to your gains, so that is our approach.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo as it stands now, we don\u2019t count her as part of us,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n<p>The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) leadership has admitted that the Dome-Kwabenya MP\u2019s absence is affecting the party and government business.<\/p>\n<p>John Boadu, the party\u2019s General Secretary, told Joy FM that with Ghana\u2019s hung Parliament, the Gender Minister\u2019s absence is adversely affecting government\u2019s business in Parliament.<\/p>\n<p>He also mentioned that the party is currently considering measures  triggering the constitutional provision to remove her as MP and declare her seat vacant.<\/p>\n<p>To date, the legislator has not been seen in Parliament, neither has she visited the Ministry which she leads.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, in April, her Aide, Nana Dubin Kwapong revealed that she will return to the House when Parliament resumes from recess.<\/p>\n<p>            <!--  [embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=videoseries[\/embed]<!--\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>--><\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"Iyasuo5qCLY\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tigers are well secured, they\u2019ll be relocated soon - Wildlife \u2013 Adom TV News (20-5-22)\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Iyasuo5qCLY?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gender activist, Affi Agbenyo has highlighted what she sees as neglect of the Gender Ministry by the Akufo-Addo government since the substantive Minister, Sarah Adwoa Safo left her post over 8-months ago. According to her, \u201cthe only time the Minister\u2019s absence bothered the Presidency was when the Minister was needed as a Parliamentarian to cast [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1095006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[187],"tags":[9235,7727,648,8450,10981,521,480],"class_list":["post-1095004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-politics","tag-absence","tag-adwoa","tag-akufoaddo","tag-bothered","tag-safos","tag-time","tag-video"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1095004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1095004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1095004\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1095004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1095004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1095004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}