Perhaps he would not only go down into history as one of the nominee who had the most gruelling grilling of six hours by Parliament for a ministerial portfolio.
He may also earn the enviable titles of being an appointee who attracted so much interest from the Minority and the general public, and also had to wait for an emergency session of Parliament to be convened before his confirmation for the position.
These notwithstanding, the august House yesterday finally gave Mr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah the nod as the Minister of Trade and Industry, following his nomination by President Mahama on July 17, 2014.
Parliament took the decision, after the Appointments Committee earlier approved by consensus his nomination as the Minister for Trade and Industry in the Mahama-led administration.
Hot debate
Although Parliament overwhelmingly approved Mr Spio-Garbrah’s nomination, it was done after a heated debate on some of the statements made by him, during his vetting by the Appointments Committee.
Members also spoke extensively on the nominee’s demeanour, when he was grilled at a public hearing on August 13, 2014 to consider his qualification, eligibility and capability for the position to which he had been nominated.
The Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, cautioned that as the nominee was rising to a high office, he had to be wary of anything he said, referring to some comments made about some ministers being “team B” material.
He said as a Minister of Trade, the nominee would be involved in very delicate negotiations, which called for circumspection in utterances as well as teamwork.
The Member of Parliament for Bekwai, Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, said one of the misgivings of the committee was the attitude of the nominee. He admonished that he “should watch his attitude which is bereft of modesty.
“His attitude can change everything if he doesn’t watch it,” he added.
The Minority Chief Whip, Mr Kweku Botwe, said, “It is the character of the individual and his attitude, arrogance and the display of power that matter.”
He expressed his difficulty in understanding why the nominee’s request to terminate his appointment with the African Development Bank, only after he had been approved by Parliament was granted, when the NDC had other qualified candidates.
The Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, commended the thoroughness of the process but listed the minuses observed as the nominee’s attitude and some untruths that came up during his vetting.
“Over-amplification of one’s success would amount to egocentrism, self-conceit and even arrogance,” he said.
Prelude to nominee’s approval
Questions answered at the hearing, bordered on a controversial article on some Ministers of State he had tagged as “Team B” players, curbing corruption at the country’s ports, addressing piracy of textile designs and the challenges of the manufacturing sector.
Others were initiatives to address trade deficits, promoting made-in-Ghana goods, views on the Economic Partnership Agreement, attracting young people into agribusiness and measures to stop the invasion of the retail sector by foreigners among other questions.
The Appointments Committee on Wednesday submitted its 13th report, which was on Mr Spio-Garbrah, to Parliament at the start of its three-day emergency sitting at the Accra International Conference Centre.
Parliament is currently sitting at the conference centre, due to chamber configuration works at Parliament House, which the Speaker announced would be completed by October 31, 2014.
In its recommendation to Parliament, the committee stated, “Having duly carried out its duty diligently in accordance with the 1992 Constitution and the Standing Orders of the House, the Appointments Committee is satisfied that the nominee is suitable to be appointed to the position to which he has been nominated.
“The Committee therefore recommends to the House to adopt its report and to approve by consensus the nomination of Mr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah for appointment as Minister for Trade and Industry.”
Background of nominee
Mr Spio-Garbrah was the Minister of Communications from July 1997, to December 1998 and also acted as the Minister for Mines and Energy in 1999.
He was also the Minister of Education from January 1999 to January 2001.
Before then, he was Ghana’s Ambassador to the USA and Mexico from June 1994 to June 1997.
From there, he was appointed as the Chairman for the Public Education Committee for the re-introduction of the Value Added Tax from July 1997 to December 1998 and acted as the Chairman for the National Communications Authority during the same period.
Mr Spio-Garbrah went back to private practice after serving in the Rawlings-led government and was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation in the United Kingdom, from September 2003 to September 2011.
Afterwards, he served as the President of the Dominion University College, from January 2012 to August 2013, and as the CEO of the Action Chapel International, Accra, from October 2011 to August 2013.
Mr Spio-Garbrah has a very vast work history and has also served on many boards.
Writer’s email:
