The Member of Parliament for Weija-Gbawe, Jerry Shaib Ahmed, has voiced his disappointment over President John Mahama’s decision not to appoint Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings as a minister in his current administration as reported by Ghana Web.
Speaking on Starr FM on May 15, 2025, the Deputy Minority Whip described the omission as unexpected, given Dr. Zanetor’s qualifications and political pedigree.
Jerry Shaib highlighted Dr. Zanetor’s competence, noting that she could have effectively managed critical portfolios such as Health, Defense, or National Security.
“She is quite a sharp lady and the daughter of the founder of the NDC party. I never expected that President Mahama would not give her an appointment,” he said.
President Mahama’s government has been praised for their lean structure, with only 56 ministers and deputies appointed—the smallest cabinet size under Ghana’s Fourth Republic.
In his national address marking his first 120 days in office, Mahama emphasized that his administration is “the most efficient and leanest” in recent history, meeting his pledge to from a streamlined government.
Despite this achievement, Jerry Shaib believes the reduction in numbers should not have come at the cost of excluding key figures like Dr. Zanetor.
He suggested that the merging of the National Security and Interior portfolios might have influenced the appointment dynamics, but insisted that her exclusion was still surprising.