The Appointments Committee of Parliament is expected to vet Dr Zanetor Agyemang-Rawlings today, Tuesday, August 25, following her nomination by President John Dramani Mahama as Minister for Environment, Science and Technology.
Her vetting comes after Parliament was recalled from recess for a five-day sitting to consider urgent parliamentary business.
When the House reconvened on Monday, August 24, Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin referred the President’s ministerial nominations to the Appointments Committee for consideration and approval.
Dr Zanetor Agyemang-Rawlings, the Member of Parliament for Klottey-Korle in the Greater Accra Region, is among several nominees submitted by President Mahama in his first ministerial reshuffle.
If approved, she will take over the Environment, Science and Technology portfolio following the death of the substantive minister, Murtala Mohammed.
The President also nominated Bawku Central MP and outgoing Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, as Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.
Ahmed Ibrahim, the MP for Banda and former minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, has been reassigned to the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources, while Kenneth Gilbert Adjei has been moved from Works, Housing and Water Resources to the Ministry of Defence.
The nominations were submitted to Parliament on Friday, August 7, in accordance with Article 78(1) of the 1992 Constitution, which requires presidential nominees for ministerial positions to obtain prior parliamentary approval.
The Appointments Committee’s vetting of Dr Zanetor Agyemang-Rawlings will form part of the parliamentary process for determining whether the nominees meet the requirements to serve in their respective portfolios.
The Committee is expected to scrutinise her competence, experience and suitability for the Environment, Science and Technology Ministry before making its recommendation to the House.
