New ministers report for duty (Spread)

ALL the 10 ministers who were sworn in by the President, Professor J.E.A. Mills, on Friday, February 13, 2009 reported for duty yesterday.
When a team from the Daily Graphic began its visit to the Ministries about 11 a.m., some of the ministers were at meetings with their management staff and, therefore, could not talk to the reporter.
Further enquiries indicated that ministers who doubled as Members of Parliament (MPs) had reported earlier at their various ministries but left for a meeting at Parliament House.
The new ministers include Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo for Education; Mr Cletus Avoka, Interior; Ms Akua Sena Dansua, Women and Children's Affairs; Mrs Juliana Azumah-Mensah, Tourism, and Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, Local Government and Rural Development.
The rest are Mr Joe Gidisu, Roads and Highways; Mr Collins Dauda, Lands and Natural Resources; Dr Kwabena Duffour, Finance and Economic Planning; Dr Joe Oteng Adjei, Energy, and Mr Mike Hammah, Transport.
About 12.50 p.m. when the team got to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, the reporter was informed by the secretarial staff at the minister’s office that Dr Duffour was in a meeting.
In an interview, his Chief Director, Nana Juaben-Boaten Siriboe, confirmed that the minister had reported for duty early in the day and had gone ahead to start work.
At the Ministry of Energy, Dr Oteng Adjei was also in a meeting with heads of units under his ministry.
In an interview later, he said the ministry was going to go after people who indulged in illegal connection of electricity, since the country lost between 10 and 12 per cent of the revenue from energy to such activities.
He reiterated that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government would continue with all the good projects started by the previous government, adding that the plan to review some of them did not mean that those projects would be stopped.
At the Ministry Lands and Natural Resources, an official said that the Minister, Mr Collins Dauda, had earlier interacted with the staff and urged them to do their best for the development of the sector.
A public relations officer at the Ministry of Roads and Highways, Mr Patrick Boachie, told this reporter in an interview that the Minister, Mr Joe Gidisu, had reported for duty but later had to leave for a meeting outside the office.
The same was said of Mrs Azumah-Mensah at the Tourism Ministry.
When the 10 ministers were sworn into office at the Castle, Osu, at the weekend, President Mills challenged them to avoid ostentatious and extravagant lifestyles.
He said he decided to swear them into office immediately after their nominations had been approved by Parliament to indicate that "we are hitting the ground running now".