Agyeman-Rawlings Orders Environment Agencies to Uphold Strict Transparency and Accountability

Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings has set a strict standard for Ghana’s Environment, Science and Technology Ministry: agencies must show discipline, transparency and accountability in handling public resources.

“What I expect from all agencies under MEST is minimum level of discipline, transparency and accountability, as well as prudence when it comes to the handling of resources that are actually the contribution of the taxpayer to this country’s development,” she said.

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What I expect from all agencies under MEST is minimum level of discipline, transparency and accountability, as well as prudence when it comes to the handling of resources that are actually the contribution of the taxpayer to this country’s development.

She spoke in Accra at a handover ceremony where Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah formally transferred his notes after serving as caretaker minister for a year. President John Mahama assigned Buah to oversee the ministry temporarily on August 7, 2025, after a helicopter crash killed cabinet members including the previous environment minister, Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed.

Parliament approved Agyeman-Rawlings as minister on August 27 after her vetting. Mahama swore her into office on August 29, 2026, alongside Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Minister Mahama Ayariga.

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Our Constitution, which is the supreme law, provides that both citizens and the government have a responsibility to protect the environment.

Agyeman-Rawlings said the ministry and its agencies would need to work with all stakeholders to confront climate change, environmental degradation and pollution. “Our Constitution, which is the supreme law, provides that both citizens and the government have a responsibility to protect the environment,” she said. She also pledged to justify the confidence President Mahama had placed in her.

Buah expressed confidence in her ability to succeed, describing her as an environmentalist and advocate for science. “I have no doubt at all that Dr Agyeman-Rawlings will achieve huge success here at this ministry,” he said, citing her passionate interventions on environmental issues in Parliament and elsewhere.

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I have no doubt at all that Dr Agyeman-Rawlings will achieve huge success here at this ministry.