President Akufo-Addo has taken a thinly veiled swipe at previous Councils of State stating that the only effective, objective and intellectual Council of State was under the former President John Agyekum Kufuor.

Former President Kufuor’s Council of State included people such as Naa Thomas Tia Sulemana, Alhaji Alhassan Bin-Salih, Mr C.K. Tedam, Mr A.K. Deku, Madam Amma Bame Busia, Mr Kwesi Armah, Mrs Gifty Affenyi-Dadzie, Nana Otuo Siriboe II, Mrs Cecilia Bannerman and Most Rev. Dr. Samuel Asante-Antwi.

The rest were; Nana Odeneho Gyapong Ababio II (President, National House of Chiefs), Mr Kweku Kyei (Former IGP), Major-General Edwin Kwamina Sam (Former Chief of Defence Staff).

Others were Togbe Kpangbatriku III, Paramount Chief of Dodome Traditional Area (Volta Region), Professor Naa Sebiyam Nabila, (Northern Region), Mr Michael Kwadwo Adusah, a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police (Brong Ahafo Region), Mr. Francis Asianab Afoko, a businessman (Upper East Region), Mr Paul Kwabena Damoah, an agriculturist (Western Region), Mr Fredrick Guggisberg Yaw Ofori-Atta, an Industrial Relations Practitioner (Eastern Region), Mr Benjamin Asonaba Dapaah, transport owner (Ashanti Region), Kuoro Kuri-Buktie Limann IV, Paramount chief of Gwollu Traditional Area (Upper West), Mr Ato Essuman, a Management Consultant (Central Region), Mr John Sackah Addo, former Governor of the Bank of Ghana (Greater Accra Region).

President Akufo-Addo swearing-in the newly constituted Council of State Monday stated that he looks forward to working with a council that will offer him straight-forward advice and not sing his praises.

“After almost 25 years of the 4th Republic, I think it is fair to say that the most effective council of state we have had is the one that worked with former President John Agyekum Kufuor. We saw an intellectually vibrant and active council that took its responsibilities seriously.

“We saw a council that kept its members well informed and kept government officials on their toes, Members of council, in my view, the council is not an extension of the executive…I look forward to working that will help all of us deepen our democracy and a council that will help us deepen our democracy.”

Akufo-Add’s Council of State includes Lt. General Joseph Boateng Danquah (retd), a former Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces and Nana Owusu Nsiah, a former Inspector General of Police to the Council.

The other appointed members are Mr Sam Okudzeto, a former President of the Ghana Bar Association, Mr Stanley Nii Adjiri Blankson, a former Accra Mayor, Nana Otuo Siriboe II, Juabenhene, Nana Kofi Obiri Egyir II, Alberta Cudjoe and Alhaji Aminu Amadu.

Others are Dr Margaret Amoakohene of the School of Communication Studies at University of Ghana, Legon, Alhaji Sahanun Moqtar, Georgina Kusi, Alhaji Sule Yiremiah and Paa Kofi Ansong. They are joined by 10 other regional representative who were elected last week.