President Akufo-Addo reshuffles cabinet, sacks finance minister

Ghanaian president Nana Akufo-Addo’s has sacked his finance minister in a sweeping cabinet reshuffle ahead of elections in December.

President Nana Akufo-Addo’s office said Wednesday that Ofori-Atta would be replaced by Mohammed Amin Adam, currently the minister of state at the finance ministry and previously deputy energy minister responsible for the petroleum sector.

Ken Ofori-Atta had been overseeing Ghana’s debt restructuring efforts after the West African gold, oil and cocoa producer defaulted on most of its external debt in December 2022.

Inflation rose above 50% that year and the local cedi currency plummeted. Ofori-Atta faced calls for his resignation from street protesters and both opposition and ruling party MPs, which he survived.

No reason has been given for his sacking and change that has affected 12 other ministers of state. Information minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah was deployed to the housing ministry. He was replaced by his deputy Fatimatu Abubakar, while Ambrose Dery, who held the interior minister portfolio, has been re-assigned to the office of the president.

President Nana Akufo-Addo second and last term in office will end in 2025.