Flagstaff House Sweeping Starts

President John Dramani Mahama, has started implementing the recent changes he mentioned in his famous �Green Letter�, he served his appointees inside the Flagstaff House, by submitting to the Council of State, two new ambassadorial nominees, Dr. Sulley Gariba and Mr. Kwesi Ahwoi. Dr. Gariba, a Senior Policy Coordinator at the Office of the President and a lifelong friend of Mr. Mahama, is being shipped to Canada, while Mr. Ahwoi, a former Minister of Interior and also a former Chief Executive of the Ghana Investment Promotions Centre (GIPC), is heading to South Africa, as Ghana�s High Commissioner, when approved by the Council of State. Former Finance Minister, Dr. Kwesi Botchwey and Dr. Nii Moi Thompson, are taking charge as Chairman and Acting Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), respectively. The high-profile removal of Dr. Gariba and Dr. Nii Moi Thompson from the Office of the President, are said to have sent shivers down the spine of many people, particularly the Presidential Staffers, Senior Presidential Staffers and Presidential Advisors. Most of them are wondering where they will be pushed to by President Mahama. Meanwhile The Herald�s insiders tell the paper that Chief of Staff, Prosper Douglas Bani, has up his performance in recent times in the face of the �Green Letter�. He has significantly improved his delivery. Official documents for his review and approval are now dispatched with alacrity; this hitherto was not the case. Mr. Bani, who is said to be enjoying the protection of the powerful First Lady, Lordina Mahama, is also said to have improved on his human relations with his immediate subordinates, and has also been promptly responding to phone calls, text messages and emails. Ghana�s High Commissioner to Holland and former Head of Policy Evaluation in the late President, John Mills�s government, Anthony Kofi �Dubidie� Aidoo, had once accused Mr. Bani of being a drawback, to President Mahama�s success, saying he (Bani), does not answer phone calls, text messages and emails. Good health, has been the best bane of Dr. Gariba, lately. The Senior Policy Coordinator, spends most of his time outside the Flagstaff House and the country, following a major surgery he underwent recently. Besides, he has been complaining to friends within his Peoples National Convention (PNC), about certain unhealthy developments at the Presidency. Dr. Gariba is a policy, governance and evaluation specialist with over 30 years� experience in providing governance and strategic advise to Governments, regional and International institutions. Mr. Ahwoi on his part, has held various positions in government and business. He has several years of professional experience as Chairman, Chief Executive, Economic Researcher, Senior Manager, Management Consultant and Market/Field Researcher in both government, private and international business environments. Mr. Ahwoi, also has expertise in trade development, capacity building and private sector expertise development in export marketing, and investment promotion. A Finance Minister in the Jerry John Rawlings administration, Dr. Botchwey, has been nominated by President John Mahama to take over from the late Ing. Paul Victor Obeng as Chairman of NDPC. Dr. Botchwey, who is Ghana�s longest serving finance minister ,was a PNDC Secretary for Finance and later became Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, following the transition to return the country to constitutional rule in 1992. He is currently the Board Chairman of the Ghana National Gas Company. Until his appointment, as Acting Director-General NDPC, Dr. Thompson was an Economic Adviser to the President inside the Flagstaff House.