Hon. Cecilia Abena Dapaah | |
---|---|
Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources | |
In office September 2018 –22 July 2023 | |
President | Nana Akufo-Addo |
Member of Parliament for Bantama Constituency | |
In office 7 January 2005 –6 January 2013 | |
Preceded by | Richard Winfred Anane |
Succeeded by | Henry Kwabena Kokofu |
Personal details | |
Born | 27 November 1954 |
Nationality | Ghanaian ![]() |
Political party | New Patriotic Party |
Children | 1 |
Alma mater | University of Ghana,Atlanta Institute of Management |
Cecilia Abena Dapaah (born on Tuesday 27 November 1954) [1] is a Ghanaian politician. She is a member of the New Patriotic Party and a former Member of Parliament for the Bantama constituency. She served as the deputy Minister for Water Resources,Works and Housing,and Minister for Aviation and Santitation and Water Resources respectively. [2]
Cecilia Abena Dapaah was born on 27 November 1954 hails from Mpasatia in the Ashanti Region. [1] She attended the University of Ghana,and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and linguistics in 1979. She holds a certificate in leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School,and a postgraduate certificate in International Development Studies from the University of Oslo. [3]
Dapaah was a development worker by profession [1] and a special assistant to President John Kufour. [4] In 2001,she was appointed the chairperson of the Board of Ghana Cocoa Processing Company. She was moved from the board in 2005,and made the deputy Minister for Water Resources,Works and Housing. In 2007,she was made a substantive minister till the end of the John Kufour administration in 2008.
Cecilia Dapaah was a member of the Parliament of Ghana from 2005 to 2013. She served on various parliamentary committees in Ghana including Works and Housing;Advisory Committee to the Speaker of the Parliament;Employment,Social welfare and Youth;Foreign Affairs;and Special Budget. [3]
Dapaah was elected as the member of parliament for the Bantama constituency of the Ashanti Region of Ghana for the first time in the 2004 Ghanaian general elections. [5] [6] She won on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party. [5] [6] Her constituency was a part of the 36 parliamentary seats out of 39 seats won by the New Patriotic Party in that election for the Ashanti Region. [7] The New Patriotic Party won a majority total of 128 parliamentary seats out of 230 seats. [8] She was elected with 41,064 votes out of 49,174 total valid votes cast equivalent to 83.5% of total valid votes cast. [5] [6] She was elected over Alhasan Napoh of the National Democratic Congress and Yaw Owusu Boafo of the Convention People's Party. [5] [6] These obtained 14.8% and 1.7% respectively of total valid votes cast. [5] [6]
In 2008,she won the general elections on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party for the same constituency. [9] [10] Her constituency was part of the 34 parliamentary seats out of 39 seats won by the New Patriotic Party in that election for the Ashanti Region. [11] The New Patriotic Party won a minority total of 109 parliamentary seats out of 230 seats. [12] She was elected with 36,708 votes out of 48,476 total valid votes cast equivalent to 75.72% of total valid votes cast. [9] [10] [4] She was elected over Nana Osei Akoto-Kuffour of the National Democratic Congress,Osei-Tutu Richard of the Convention People's Party,Eunice Owusu-Ansah of the Reformed Patriotic Democrats and Stephen Kwaku Saahene an independent candidate. [9] [10] These obtained 14.45%,5.52%,0.91% and 3.39% respectively of the total votes cast. [9] [10]
On 7 January 2017,President Akuffo-Addo nominated her for the position of Minister of Aviation. [13] [14] She was vetted by the Appointments Committee of the Parliament of Ghana on 8 February 2017. [14] [15] During her vetting,she testified that she would improve the aviation industry in Ghana,and that her priority was to restart a national carrier by 2019. [14] [16] [17] She was of the view that the unavailability of the carrier was depriving Ghana of several millions of cedis in revenue. [14] The last national carrier was Ghana International Airlines,which collapsed in 2010. [15] In March 2017,she announced that Ghana was progressing with its desire to become the aviation hub of the West African region. [18]
Dapaah was moved to the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources in 2018. [3] She was made caretaker Minister for Gender,Children and Social Protection for a year (2021–2022). [3] She served in her role as Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources before resigning in July 22,2023,due to an alleged scandal involving the stealing of $1,000,000,€300,000 and Millions in local currency by her house helps from her bedroom. [19] [20] [21] [22]
According to a press statement released by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP),Dapaah was taken into custody on Monday,July 24,2023,at 11:55 GMT. The arrest was connected to alleged corruption and corruption-related activities involving substantial sums of money and valuable items,which were reportedly stolen from her residence in 2022 by two of her domestic workers. [23] [24] [25]
One Madam Hannah Fosua,said to be the wife of a former driver of the Minister claimed her husband lost his job working for Ms Dapaah because he drew attention to the behaviour of the accused persons. [26]
Andy Appiah-Kubi,the Member of Parliament for Asante-Akim North suggested on TV3 that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo should have kept his comments about the innocence or otherwise of the Minister to himself. [27]
In September 2023,the Accra High Court ordered the Office of the Special Prosecutor to unfreeze and return the money in her bank accounts. [28] The office obeyed the directive but later froze her bank account again and her investments. The office returned her seized cash amounts. [29]
Dapaah is married with one child. She is a member of the Methodist Church. [4]
Kwame Addo-Kufuor is a Ghanaian politician and physician. Addo-Kufuor was a member of parliament for Manhyia,and from 2001 to 2007,he was the Minister for Defence under President John Kufuor,his brother. Between June 2008 and 2009,he was the Minister for Interior.
Albert Kan-Dapaah is a Ghanaian chartered accountant and politician. He is currently the Minister of National Security. He was appointed by President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo on 10 January 2017.
Mpasatia is a town in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The town is known for the Mpasatia Secondary Technical School.The town is about fourteen miles from Kumasi. Mpasatia is in the Atwima Mponua District in Ashanti Region.The town has three Junior High Schools and one Senior High School. The main occupation in this town is farming. It is also one of the mining towns in Atwima Mponua District. The total population of the town is about 4000. It is the second largest town in Atwima Mponua District.it is a flat land surrounded by two rivers. That is river Waawe and River Asuo Kofi. Some of the surrounding villages are Yawbour,Seseko,Kwapaa,Bedifi and Amaadu Nkwanta. The town is divided into four areas,that is Ahenbronum,Amangoase,Carbery and Atenesu.
Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu is a Ghanaian urban planner and politician. He is currently the majority leader in the Ghanaian Parliament and the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs in Ghana. He is the longest serving lawmaker in Ghana.
Richard Winfred Anane is a physician and former Ghanaian politician who served as Minister for Roads and Highways,Minister for Health,and Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso serving from 1997 to 2017.
Abena Osei-Asare is a Chartered Accountant,Ghanaian politician and currently a Member of Parliament for Atiwa East in the Eastern Region of Ghana.
Frema Opare,Akosua Frema Osei-Opare is an astute development practitioner,an academic,and a Ghanaian politician. She represented Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency in the Parliament of Ghana. She is the current and first female Chief of Staff of Ghana.
Anthony Akoto Osei was a Ghanaian banker and politician. Osei was in the cabinet of President John Agyekum Kufuor first as Minister of State for Finance and Economic Planning and then Acting Minister of Finance. He was a member of Parliament for the electoral district of Old Tafo in the Ashanti region.
Simon Osei-Mensah is a Ghanaian politician,a member of the 6th Parliament and 4th Republic of Ghana,and a member of the New Patriotic Party in Ghana. He is the Ashanti Regional minister of Ghana. He was appointed by President Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo-Addo in January 2017 and was approved by the members of parliament in February 2017.
Josephine Hilda Addoh is a Ghanaian politician and a member of the New Patriotic Party. She was the Member of Parliament for the Kwadaso Constituency in the fourth parliament of the fourth Republic of Ghana.
Isaac Kwame Asiamah is a Ghanaian politician of the Republic of Ghana. He is the Member of Parliament of Atwima Mponua constituency. He has been the member of parliament for the constituency in the 4th,5th,6th,7th and the 8th Parliament of the 4th Republic of Ghana. He is a member of the New Patriotic Party of Ghana. From February 2017 to January 2021,he served as the Minister of Youth and Sports.
Osei Bonsu Amoah is a Ghanaian politician and member of the Seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana and represents the people of Akwapim South Constituency in the Eastern Region of Ghana under the flag of the New Patriotic Party.
Kwabena Owusu Aduomi is a Ghanaian politician and a Member of Parliament of Ghana. He is a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the deputy minister for Roads and Highways in Ghana.
Gifty Twum-Ampofo is a Ghanaian politician and a Member of Parliament of the New Patriotic Party. She is currently the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North constituency in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Ampofo is the deputy minister for Gender,Children and Social Protection in Ghana.
Elizabeth Agyemang is a Ghanaian politician and was a member of the Parliament of Ghana. She represented Oforikrom in the Ashanti region of Ghana. She is a member of the New Patriotic Party and the Deputy Minister of the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
Frimpong Yaw Addo is a Ghanaian politician and member of the Seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana and Eight parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana representing the Manso Adubia Constituency in the Ashanti Region on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party. He is currently the Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture.
Gifty Ohene-Konadu is a civil servant and Ghanaian politician of the Republic of Ghana. She was the Member of Parliament representing Asante-Akim South constituency of the Ashanti Region of Ghana in the 4th and 5th Parliament of the 4th Republic of Ghana. She is a member of the New Patriotic Party. Currently,she holds the position of National Coordinator of the Monitoring and Evaluation Secretariat at the Office of the President.
Abena Takyiwa is a Ghanaian politician and a member of the first Parliament of the fourth Republic representing the Kwabre constituency in the Ashanti Region.
Beatrice Aboagye is a Ghanaian politician and a member of the first Parliament of the fourth Republic representing the Afigya-Sekyere West constituency in the Ashanti region.
Collins Adomako-Mensah is a Ghanaian politician and member of the New Patriotic Party. He represents Afigya Kwabre North Constituency in the 8th parliament of the 4th Republic in Ghana.