Sources close to the government of President John Mahama have indicated that he is poised to appoint Mrs. Naomi Kwetey, wife of the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), as a deputy governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG).
This appointment, if confirmed, is expected to raise eyebrows, given her close family connections to prominent NDC figures.
The NDC, during the tenure of the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) government led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, repeatedly criticized the practice of appointing family and friends to key positions. However, under the Mahama-led administration, a similar pattern appears to be emerging, with the President appointing several relatives of party leaders to significant roles. Notably, just three weeks into his new term, Mahama appointed his niece, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, as a senior presidential aide, and Dr. Kwaku Asiedu Nketia, the son of the NDC National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, as the acting deputy CEO of the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF).
Mrs. Kwetey, a finance sector expert with previous experience at The Trust Bank (which was later acquired by Ecobank Ghana in 2012), is now being considered for the role of deputy governor at the central bank. While her appointment could be seen as a move to bring experienced financial expertise to the BoG, it has sparked concern due to her close family ties and her involvement in a financial scandal in 2012.
In the wake of the Woyomegate scandal, which saw the country rocked by the GHc58 million financial controversy, Naomi Kwetey was implicated in another financial issue. Reports from early January 2012 revealed that Mrs. Kwetey, then head of finance at The Trust Bank, along with 10 senior managers, allegedly disbursed GHc59 million in severance packages without the approval of the bank’s new board. Mrs. Kwetey was accused of facilitating the payment of GHc9 million to foreign accounts, an action believed to have been taken to prevent the new board, the bank’s staff, and the Bank of Ghana from discovering the unauthorized payments, which ranged from GHc300,000 to GHc2 million.
Given her involvement in this financial controversy, the prospect of Naomi Kwetey assuming a high-profile role at the Bank of Ghana has raised concerns among political and financial watchers. Critics argue that such an appointment could undermine the integrity of the central bank and fuel allegations of nepotism within the Mahama administration.
As the government moves forward with its plans, political observers will be closely monitoring the developments surrounding this appointment, as it reflects broader questions about governance and the handling of key appointments within the public sector.
