President John Mahama has urged Mahama Ayariga and Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings to work together in the interest of the ordinary Ghanaian.
The President issued the charge after swearing them into office on August 29 at the Jubilee House.
Mahama Ayariga is taking office as the New Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs while Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings goes to the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology.
After swearing them into office, President Mahama said they should consider all their stakeholders as partners in the task ahead.
“Having served together in Parliament for quite a while, I know that the relationship between the two of you is very good. And so, I expect you both to work closely together. Our traditional leaders, religious bodies, district assemblies, scientists, civil society organizations and local communities must all be treated as partners in your success,” he urged.
READ THE PRESIDENT’S FULL SPEECH BELOW:
Ladies and gentlemen,
Today we entrust two distinguished public servants with responsibility for ministries that are central to the well-being of our people and the sustainable development of our country.
The oaths administered this morning are not mere formalities. They are solemn commitments to serve the people of Ghana with integrity, humility, fairness and fidelity to our Constitution.
Public office is a privilege and not a right. But it is also demanding of trust. It requires us to place the national interest above personal convenience, political consideration and sectional interest.
And so I start with the Honorable Mahama Ayariga. You assume responsibility for the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftency and Religious Affairs at an important time in our national development.
You bring considerable experience to this assignment as a legislator, a lawyer and a former Minister of State, having served both in the Ministries of Youth and Sports and Environment, Science and Technology.
Your years in public life have given you a deep appreciation of public administration, parliamentary accountability and the importance of building consensus across our diverse societies.
Local government is where our ordinary citizens most directly encounter the state in our metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies and where communities expect functioning social services, functioning markets, clean surroundings, reliable local roads, effective planning and responsive public services.
I therefore charge you, Honorable Minister, to make decentralization meaningful to our citizens Metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies must become more accountable, financially disciplined and responsive to the needs of the communities they serve.
You must also work to restore order to our cities and towns. Poor spatial planning, uncontrolled development, sanitation challenges, congestion and the persistent encroachment on public spaces cannot continue to be left unchecked.
Your responsibility for Chieftency and Religious Affairs particularly calls for wisdom, patience and impartiality. Our traditional authorities remain indispensable partners in the development and our custodians of our heritage.
Similarly, our religious institutions continue to make invaluable contributions to education, health care, social protection, peace building and national cohesion. You must therefore engage these institutions with respect and fairness.
Ghana’s religious and cultural diversity must remain a source of strength rather than a source of division. At all times, government must protect freedom of worship, promote tolerance and ensure that no citizen is marginalized because of their faith, their ethnicity or their ethnic affiliation.
With Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, it’s taking a while but it’s happened at last. You assume responsibility for the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology. Dr. Zanetor brings to this office a valuable combination of medical training, parliamentary experience, humanitarian service and a long-standing commitment to public health, environmental responsibility and the welfare of vulnerable communities, being an MP of a vulnerable constituency herself.
Your medical training provides a particularly important perspective. The environment is not separate from human health. Polluted rivers, contaminated soils, poor sanitation and safe air and indiscriminate waste disposal eventually find expression in our hospitals and in the health of our people.
Your task therefore, Honorable Minister, is both environmental and human. You must provide determined leadership to protect Ghana’s natural resources and secure a healthier future for generations yet unborn.
The destruction of our forests and water bodies through illegal mining remains one of the gravest threats to our national survival.
This administration will continue to act firmly against those who place private profits above collective well-being of our people.
Environmental protection must be based on sound science, effective regulation, consistent enforcement and the active participation of affected communities. At the same time, your ministry must place science, technology and innovation at the heart of our national development.
We must strengthen scientific research, encourage innovation, support local inventors and deepen collaboration amongst our universities, our research institutions and industry.
We must create opportunities for our young people to apply science and technology to agriculture, to healthcare, to energy, climate resilience, manufacturing and the digital economy.
Our response to climate change must also become more practical and urgent. Flooding, coastal erosion, changing rainfall patterns and rising temperatures are already affecting communities’ livelihoods and public infrastructure.
And so, at the head of that ministry, you must lead Ghana to pursue development that creates jobs and expands opportunities without compromising the environment upon which our future depends.
Although you assume responsibility for different portfolios, your mandates are closely connected. Environmental protection ultimately takes place within communities. Effective sanitation, land use planning, waste management, climate resilience and protection of natural resources all require strong collaboration between the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology.
Having served together in Parliament for quite a while, I know that the relationship between the two of you is very good. And so, I expect you both to work closely together. Our traditional leaders, religious bodies, district assemblies, scientists, civil society organizations and local communities must all be treated as partners in your success.
I also expect you to work cooperatively with your colleague ministers and other public officers. Government succeeds when its institutions collaborate, not when ministries operate as isolated entities.
And let me remind you that the Ghanaian people expect results. They expect integrity, accessibility and accountability. They expect public officials to listen to them and act with urgency.
So be fair where fairness is required. But always remember to remain humble. Listen to professional advice, respect the institutions under your leadership and ensure that public resources are managed prudently.
Let every decision you take withstand the test of legality, fairness and public interest. The Honorable Mahama Ayarga and Dr. Zaneto Agyeman-Rawlings, I congratulate you on your appointments.
The confidence placed in you is considerable. So is the responsibility. But I know you will rise to the occasion. May you discharge your duties with courage, compassion and an unwavering commitment to the people of Ghana.
And may God grant you the wisdom and strength and may God continue to bless our homeland, Ghana.
I thank you.
