The MP for Assin South, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, will be appointed a deputy minister for education, highly placed sources at the Office of the President have informed Asaase News.
The president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is expected to release the list of deputy ministers-designate by Monday 19 April 2021.
Reverend Fordjour, who is a second-term MP, has a multifaceted academic background in mineral engineering, economic policy management and foreign policy. He has acquitted himself creditably as a legislator, having already had a sterling career in mining and entrepreneurship.
Born in Assin Kruwa, Central Region, on 28 May 1986 and raised in the same village up to the age of 16, Fordjour studied science at Assin Manso Senior High School and was admitted to the George Grant University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) when he was just 17. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in mineral engineering at the age of 21.
Mining star
Shortly after his national service, Fordjour began his career in mining as a senior training officer in charge of learning and development with the Tarkwa mine of Gold Fields Ghana Ltd.
In this role, he was responsible for the administration of learning and development function of the mine and assisted in the development of effective learning and training policies and systems.
His exceptional dedication and competent delivery were soon recognised with promotion to the role of human resources superintendent for the same blue-chip firm. He was responsible in this senior position for managing the HR function for the 4,500 multicultural employees and contractors at the mine.
Key among his achievements in this role includes his leadership in the delivery of the Owner Maintenance Project (OMP), a major change management venture, which transitioned into the setting up of a newly established heavy maintenance and equipment (HME) department with 485 expatriate and critical local staff.
Varied interests
Fordjour holds a Master of Arts (MA) degree in economic policy management from the University of Ghana, Legon and a postgraduate certificate in governance and anti-corruption methods from Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
He is currently in the final stages of a PhD in political science (specialising in foreign policy) at the University of Ghana, Legon and will soon be defending his thesis.
In the eighth parliament, Ntim Fordjour is serving on the appointments and foreign affairs committees. In the seventh parliament, he was the chairman of the Ghana-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Association and served as the vice-chairman of Parliament’s standing committee on members holding offices of profit. He was also a member of the foreign affairs committee.
In 2019, he was appointed a member of the governing board of the Ghana Integrated Iron and Steel Development Corporation (GIISDEC). He subsequently became the acting board chairman.
Well known for his consistent and bold advocacy in resistance to pressures of LGBTQI practices on Ghana’s social fabric, Fordjour is also an ardent advocate for education on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem).
He is a minister of the gospel and serves as the senior pastor of VBCI Higher Heights Sanctuary in East Legon. He is married to the beautiful Tracy and blessed with three children.
Philip Asiawo
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