President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo has designated the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour Awuah as the Minister in charge of Pensions.
The appointment which is in accordance with section 211 of the National Pensions Act 2008 (ACT 766) will see the minister steering the affairs of the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) effective January 30, 2023.
Mr Baffour Awuah made this known when he appeared before the Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday, February 1.
The new ministerial appointment which takes immediate effect comes after the Minority warned that any new ministerial appointment will not be tolerated as the country embarks on a domestic debt restructuring to revive the ailing economy.
Early life and education
He was born on 24 August 1966 and hails from Nsoatre in the Bono Region of Ghana. He had his Bachelors degree in Accounting in 1992. He also had his Post-graduate diploma in Management Consultancy in 2017.
Political life
He joined the New Patriotic Party and was a member of President Kufour’s government as a District Chief Executive of the Sunyani District Assembly.
He later became the deputy regional minister for the Brong-Ahafo region and subsequently became the regional minister under the same Kuffour administration.
He ran for Member of Parliament for the Sunyani West constituency and won in the 2008 parliamentary elections. His party, the NPP however lost the presidential election. He was re-elected as MP in the same constituency in 2012 and 2016.
He’s therefore the current MP of the Sunyani West constituency. He served as the deputy minority chief whip from 2013 to 2017.
Cabinet Minister
In May 2017, President Nana Akufo-Addo named Baffour-Awuah as part of nineteen ministers who would form his cabinet.
The names of the 19 ministers were submitted to the Parliament of Ghana and announced by the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Prof. Mike Ocquaye.
As a Cabinet minister, Baffour-Awuah is part of the inner circle of the president and is to aid in key decision-making activities in the country.
Committees
Baffour-Awuah is a member of House Committee; a member of Privileges Committee and also a member of Committee of Selection Committee
