Former Information Minister Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah has assumed the role of Works and Housing Minister, which is yet to be approved by Parliament, leaving behind a legacy of unresolved government scandals.
During his tenure as Information Minister, several scandals tarnished the government of Ghana’s reputation, with Oppong-Nkrumah often remaining silent as these issues persisted. His selective engagement with media houses also drew criticism.
Succeeding Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, Fatima Abubakar has been vetted but is yet to be approved to start her duties.
One of the scandals that rocked the government before Oppong Nkrumah’s exit involved former Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources Cecilia Dapaah, who was reported to have hoarded millions at home.
The Information Ministry appeared powerless as the scandal unfolded over several weeks.
In another scandal, a woman named Serwaa Broni claimed that President Nana Addo had been making advances towards her since 2019, which she rejected. The Information Ministry was unavailable for comment during this period.
Additionally, there was a scandal involving illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) linked to Oppong Nkrumah. Former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, shared a video of an illegal mining site allegedly connected to Oppong Nkrumah, causing embarrassment to the government.
The video, received from a constituent of Oppong Nkrumah, alleged that the galamsey site belonged to the Minister of Information, who had supposedly hired Chinese workers to operate there.
These scandals have left a stain on the government’s reputation, and Oppong Nkrumah’s tenure as Information Minister has been marked by controversy and criticism.
“He (Oppong Nkrumah) has brought the Chinese here to work for him. This is what they have done to the Pra River,” the man said as he was taking a shot of the river.
“This place is called Akyem Brenasi, along the Pra River, there are about 15 excavators here,” the narrator added in Twi.