By Love Wilhelmina Abanonave
Former Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has described former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta as “every Education Minister’s favourite finance minister,” citing the financial clearances that enabled the recruitment of thousands of teachers during his tenure.
“I always tell people that Ken Ofori-Atta will be every education minister’s favourite finance minister,” Dr Adutwum said. “He never denied me clearance… and I’m clear on that. Nothing can get passed without Ken.”
The former education minister made the remarks on GTV’s Breakfast Show while reflecting on his time in office under the Akufo-Addo administration. He credited Mr Ofori-Atta’s support at the Finance Ministry for key interventions in the education sector, including mass teacher recruitment.
“We were able to employ 20,000 teachers in 2020,” Dr Adutwum stated.
Under Ghana’s public sector rules, ministries require financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance before recruiting staff to ensure there is budgetary provision for salaries. Dr Adutwum suggested that Mr Ofori-Atta’s willingness to grant those clearances was critical to addressing teacher shortages.
Asked whether the country was in a better financial position in 2020 to support such recruitment, Dr Adutwum responded: “Yes, because governments do what they are determined to do.”
Ken Ofori-Atta served as Finance Minister from January 2017 to February 2024. His tenure covered the implementation of Free SHS, COVID-19-related expenditure, and Ghana’s debt restructuring programme.
Dr Adutwum served as Education Minister from 2021 to 2025 and as Deputy Minister from 2017 to 2021. During that period, the Ministry oversaw recruitment drives aimed at reducing pupil-teacher ratios, particularly at the basic and senior high school levels.
