The Member of Parliament for Akim Abuakwa South, Atta Akyea, has endorsed the nomination of the minister-designate for Trade and Industry, Hannah Tetteh, forecasting she would be “a very powerful minister.” The endorsement, enveloped in a “word of advice” he proposed to give his law school classmate, attracted considerable mirth in the Speaker’s Conference Room in Parliament where she appeared for vetting before the Appointments Committee of Parliament. The MP has created a niche for himself as a serious griller of nominees, but this time round he was caught singing praises. In a vetting that has mostly presented a semblance of a courtroom showdown, expectations were that the nominee would face blistering attacks in the backdrop of a cluster of petitions against her endorsement. The Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG), had filed a petition against the nomination of the former MP alleging that Ms Tetteh flouted the rules of Parliament by serving as legal adviser to the Ghana Agro Food Company (GAFCO) while she was MP for Awutu-Senya between 2001 and 2005. The group had described the conduct of the minister-designate as “flagrantly unconstitutional and highly dishonourable,” making her unfit for a ministerial appointment. Ms Tetteh however denied working for two organisations at the same time without the express permission of Parliament. “With the greatest of respect, Mr Chairman, that allegation is untrue,” she said. She submitted copies of a certificate she said had been issued her by the late Speaker of Parliament, Peter Ala Adjetey, granting her the permission to hold an office of profit. The chairman of the Vetting Committee, Edward Doe Adjaho, cleared her on the matter saying Ms Tetteh had an approval letter from the Committee of Members Holding Office of Profit, which indicated that she sought permission from the House before her engagement at GAFCO. Ms Tetteh answered questions from both sides of the House, on what government policy options would be on the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and the President’s Special Initiatives (PSIs) introduced by the Kufuor government. The nominee promised a complete review of the PSIs as well as Ghana’s approach to trade agreements entered into by the former administration. She also proposed to promote ECOWAS investments to enhance the marketability of locally produced goods, and said Nigeria should be a good partner in such an initiative. Story by Fiifi Koomson