Meet Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah; NPP's 'favourite' to replace Ken Ofori-Atta

Calls for the sack or the resignation of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, have been relentless over the past few weeks, with even Members of Parliament (MPs) of his own party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), joining the calls. One of the names that have come up as a possible replacement for Ken Ofori Atta should President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo heed the calls for his sack or should he resign from his post, is Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah. Even though Dr. Assibey-Yeboah has been an ardent critic of the Akufo-Addo government, some Ghanaians including broadcaster Paul Adom-Otchere have said that he (Assibey-Yeboah) is considered as the favourite among the rank and file of the NPP to replace Ken Ofori-Atta. Dr. Assibey-Yeboah has, on a number of occasions, criticised the implementation of a number of policies of the Akufo-Addo government, including the Free Senior High School and the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy). Prior to Ghana returning to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout, Dr. Assibey-Yeboah warned of harsh economic conditions and therefore called on the government to resort to the Fund at an earlier time ahead of its July 1, 2022 decision. Who is Dr. Assibey-Yeboah? Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah is a Ghanaian politician and member of the 6th and 7th Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana (from 2013 to 2021), representing the New Juaben South Constituency in the Eastern Region on the ticket of NPP. He is a Christian and was born on March 2, 1974. He comes from Obo-Kwahu, a town in the Kwahu South District of the Eastern Region of Ghana. During his term as an MP, Dr. Assibey-Yeboah served as the Chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament. During his tenure as chair, he led many engagements toward sound economic indicators of government and was noted for demanding accountability from the government. He was also a member of the Sports Committee of the 6th Parliament. Before venturing into politics, Dr. Assibey-Yeboah was a lecturer between 2009 and 2010 at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), a senior economist at the Bank of Ghana between 2011 and 2012 and a lecturer at the Ghana Technology University College from 2011 to 2012. He had also previously worked as a lecturer at the University of Tennessee and as an adjunct faculty at Milligan College – both in the United States of America. He was also a board member of the ADB Bank Ghana from August 2018 – 2021. He is a member of the American Economic Association. Educational background of Dr Assibey-Yeboah The former MP attended Presbyterian Boys' Secondary School, Legon and the Ghana Secondary School, Koforidua, where he obtained his GCE Ordinary Level and GCE Advanced Level, respectively. Dr. Assibey-Yeboah holds a BSc (Hons) in Agricultural Economics degree from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). He also holds an MS (Agricultural and Resource Economics) from the University of Delaware, USA. He also holds an MA and a PhD, both in Economics from the University of Tennessee, USA specialising in International Macroeconomics, Monetary Economics and Econometrics. Some of his research work has been published in reputable journals, including the Economic Record, the International Journal for Finance and Economics, the Journal for International Trade and Economic Development, and The North American Journal of Economics and Finance. You can also watch this episode of People & Places on GhanaWeb TV: IB/SEA