“No need to rush vetting” – MP and Vetting C’ttee Member Vincent Assafuah warns against superficial approvals

Member of Parliament for Old Tafo and Appointments Committee member, Hon. Vincent Assafuah, has strongly opposed the hasty vetting of ministerial nominees, insisting that the process must not be rushed under any circumstances.

Speaking on ABC Prime on ABC News GH, Assafuah emphasized that the ranking member of the Appointments Committee, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has all the time needed to scrutinize nominees thoroughly.

“Nobody should rush in vetting. Let it not be said anywhere that because we have a number of vetting sessions, we need to rush,” he cautioned.

According to him, the ranking member carries a crucial responsibility on behalf of Ghanaians, and the process must allow ample time for thorough questioning.

“The ranking has enough time to vet nominees. The ranking has the responsibility to ask any question on behalf of the Ghanaian people,” he stressed.

To support his point, Assafuah recalled a precedent where Ghana’s Former Finance Minister was vetted over two to three days, a stark contrast to some of the rushed sessions seen recently.

“We should take our time to do whatever we are doing. I disagree with Hon. Rockson Dafemekpor,” he added, pushing back against the notion that the vetting process should be shortened for convenience.

His remarks follow the recent vetting of Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, the Minister-designate for Defence, which took up nearly the entire day on Tuesday, January 28.

In sharp contrast, the vetting of Greater Accra Regional Minister-designate, Linda Ocloo, which followed later that evening, was completed in record time, making history as the shortest vetting session in Ghana’s 9th Parliament.

This drastic disparity has sparked concerns about whether some nominees are being given the scrutiny they deserve, while others glide through the process with minimal interrogation.

The Greater Accra Region, though the smallest of Ghana’s 16 administrative regions in terms of land area—occupying just 3,245 square kilometers or 1.4% of the country’s total landmass—is the second most populous, trailing only the Ashanti Region. With a population of 4,010,054 in 2010, it accounted for 15.4% of Ghana’s total population.

Given its high population density and the unique challenges it faces, many have voiced their disappointment over the brevity of the vetting process for the Greater Accra Regional Minister-designate. Critics argue that the region’s pressing issues, including urban congestion, housing deficits, flooding, and inadequate infrastructure, warranted a more extensive and rigorous vetting session to ensure the nominee is thoroughly assessed and prepared to address these critical concerns.

Ruth Sekyi – ABC News GH