Africa-Press – Ghana. Linda Boamah Asante was appointed Deputy Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority in February 2022 by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo‐Addo under the authority of Section 49 (1) of the National Petroleum Authority Act, 2005 (Act 691).
At the time, she and Perry Okudzeto were confirmed by the NPA Governing Board to oversee the authority’s operations. When President John Dramani Mahama assumed office three years later, Mr Okudzeto departed the agency, but Ms Asante remained in her role.
Sources within the NPA report that Ms Asante successfully negotiated to continue serving, not as Deputy CEO but as Director of Inspections Monitoring and Health, Safety and Environment. Her retention was reportedly endorsed by Chief of Staff Julius Debrah and implemented by the acting Chief Executive, Godwin Tamakloe, during a wider restructuring of senior management at the authority.
Ms Asante is understood to have longstanding ties to the New Patriotic Party and close personal connections with former Energy Minister Mathew Opoku Prempeh and other senior figures from the previous administration. Her continued tenure alongside the National Democratic Congress leadership has fuelled debate over the status of political appointees in independent regulatory bodies.
The arrangement in the petroleum sector mirrors similar controversies elsewhere in government. The Minerals Commission has retained Martin Ayisi as Chief Executive despite his role in the NPP transition team of 2017, and other appointees from the outgoing administration continue in senior positions at the Ghana Airports Company and the Food and Drugs Authority.
These developments have prompted internal calls within the ruling party for a clear policy on the tenure of partisan appointees in agencies meant to operate at arm’s length from political influence.
Maintaining technical continuity in critical regulatory bodies can safeguard institutional memory and ensure ongoing projects proceed without interruption. However party loyalists argue that full renewal of leadership is essential to reflect the mandate of a newly elected administration and to reinforce public confidence in the impartiality of state institutions.
Balancing these considerations will remain a central challenge for the Mahama government as it seeks to strengthen governance while preserving the expertise needed to steer Ghana’s strategic sectors forward.
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