Accra, Dec. 23, GNA – The Presidential transition team has agreed to Parliament’s request to hold the investiture of President-elect, Nana Akufo-Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in the precinct of Parliament and before Parliament on January 7, 2021.
The decision followed a request made by the leadership of Parliament on November 3,2020 during the commissioning of the office facilities under the Physical Infrastructure Projects.
This is a departure from the past, where the President-elect’s swearing-in ceremony took place at the Black Star Square.
Mr Pius Enam Hadzide, a Deputy Minister of information, announced this at a media briefing in Accra on Wednesday, on the activities of the Presidential transition team.
Mr Hadzide said the Presidential transition team, chaired by Madam Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, the Chief of Staff at the Presidency, favourably considered the request made by Parliament and decided that the swearing-in of the President-elect on January 7, 2020, would happen before Parliament and within the precinct of Parliament.
The Presidential Inauguration Sub-committee, he said, was working collaboratively with the leadership of Parliament to ensure a smooth and successful investiture.
He said the necessary sitting and security arrangements would be made for all the 275 parliamentarians and invited guests, in compliance with the COVID-19 safety protocols.
Mr Osei-Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader in Parliament, making the request on the floor of Parliament on November 3,2020 argued that more often than not, any time the president-elect’s investiture takes place at the Independence Square, members of the public take over the seats of Parliamentarians and create a lot of inconvenience for them.
Additionally, some party supporters of the winning party subjected the members of the losing party to vitriolic insults.
Also, some party supporters paraded animals decorated in party colours of the winning party and displayed them on the floor of the relocated Parliament, which was not the best and fall below international best practices.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Transition team has constituted various sub-committees to ensure a successful investiture.
They include the Inauguration Sub-committee chaired by Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Government Machinery and Presidency Subcommittee chaired by Yaw Osafo Maafo, Senior Minister, Finance and Economy and the End of Service Subcommittees, chaired by Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Finance.
Others are; the Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee chaired by Dominic Nitiwul, Minister of Defence, Legal and Governance Subcommittee chaired by Ms Gloria Akuffo, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Sub-committee on Infrastructure chaired by Ambrose Dery, Minister of the Interior and Public Safety chaired by Albert Kan Dapaah, Minister of National Security.
Madam Hajia Alima Mahama, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development also chaired the Social Service Subcommittee.
GNA