President John Dramani Mahama may be just a week old in office but may have a staggering pile of CVs and applications to sort out as he forms his government for the four-year mandate.
If he has a headache in satisfying the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party base with the 60 ministerial appointments he pledged during his campaign for the presidency, it could get worse with the staggering numbers jostling for the 261 vacancies available as metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs).
In the Volta Region alone, at least 279 individuals have applied for the 18 MMDCE vacancies as of the close of last Monday, the Daily Graphic is authoritatively informed.
Applications
The applications, said by reliable sources to have been submitted to the Volta Regional Executive of the NDC under the chairmanship of Mawutor Agbavitor, included eight applications for the Adaklu DCE post; 17 for the Afadjato South DCE post; eight for the Agotime Ziope DCE post; four for the Akatsi North DCE post; six for the Akatsi South DCE post; 19 applications for the Anlo DCE post; and 27 for the Central Tongu DCE post.
There were also 13 applications for the South Tongu DCE; 40 applications for the North Tongu DCE; 22 for the Ho Central MCE; 15 applications for the Ho West MCE; and 14 for the Hohoe MCE posts.
The rest are 17 applications for the Ketu South MCE; 13 for the Ketu North DCE; 15 for the Keta MCE; 10 for the Kpando MCE; 18 for the North Dayi DCE, and 13 for the South Dayi DCE post positions.
Assurance
Mr Agbavitor earlier assured the people in the region that President Mahama would consider qualified persons from the region for appointments in the government.
“I have taken notice of concerns raised by the good people of the Volta Region, including chiefs and NDC members, on the fears of Volta not being considered for the right quota of appointments,” he said in a statement.
For the avoidance of doubt, I want to put it on record that Volta Region will be considered for appointments in the new NDC administration without fail,” Mr Agbavitor added.
It said the President had taken cognisance of the region’s loyalty and hard work, as the only region that secured over 90 per cent of the votes for the NDC, winning all 18 seats, including the Hohoe Constituency.
Mass jostling
The mass jostling has come less than a week after President Mahama revoked the appointments of the 261 MMDCEs who served in the previous government across the country upon his inauguration in Accra on January 7, 2025.
It, however, mirrors the bigger picture of intense lobbying across territories, sectors, agencies and other state institutions with the capacity to employ chief executive officers (CEOs), managing directors (MDs), and commissioners, among other top management positions.
President Mahama last week disclosed the pile of CVs forwarded to his office for consideration for various positions as individuals offered themselves for the various portfolios available for state appointments.
Indeed, he stressed that many would be disappointed because of the sheer number of applications his office continued to receive daily.
The Daily Graphic has learnt that while thousands have submitted CVs to the President and the party machinery for various positions, chiefs, groups and influential individuals within communities are also leaving no stone unturned to catch the President’s eye in the 60-man ministerial appointments he has promised.
For instance, while a group, the Nzema Youth Parliament, has appealed to President Mahama to appoint a native of Nzema as the new CEO of the Ghana National Gas Company located in the area, the youth of Akatsi North are also urging the appointment of their Member of Parliament, Peter Nortsu Kotoe, to head the Ministry of Education.
Last week, six paramount chiefs and traditional council presidents of the Ave area in the Akatsi North District in the Volta Region appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to nominate the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area (Akatsi North), Peter Nortsu Kotoe, for a ministerial post to enable him to further support the development of the constituency.
They said, for instance, Mr Kotoe served diligently as the MP and Ranking Member on the Education Committee in Parliament for the past eight years and helped to expand educational infrastructural facilities in the constituency, adding it would be in the broader national interest if he was considered for the post of Minister of Education.
