Hon. Ignatius Baffour Awuah assumed duty as the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations on 13th February, 2017. He is the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Sunyani West Constituency, a position he has held since 2008.
Personal Life and Education
The Hon. Minister was born on 24th August 1966 in Nsoatre, Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana. He attended St Patrick’s Primary School from 1973 to 1981, then Sacred Heart Secondary School until 1983. The Hon. Minister continued with his studies at the Sunyani Secondary School and St Herbert Seminary where he received his GCE ‘O’ Level and ‘A’ Level certificates respectively.
In 1992, Hon. Baffour Awuah obtained a Bachelor of Science (BSc) Degree in Business Administration (Accounting option) from the University of Ghana Business School, Legon. He also holds a certificate in Civil Service Management from Galilee College in Israel and a Post Graduate Diploma from the International Professional Managers Association (IPMA) in the United Kingdom.
Leadership
The Hon. Minister has held a variety of leadership positions throughout his academic and professional career. Whilst studying for his Bachelor’s degree, he played an active role in student politics and was the Secretary of the Brong Ahafo Students Union.
As a member of the Ghana Association of Rural Banks, the Hon. Minister served as Secretary of the Brong Ahafo Managers Group. In 2004, he became the Expansion Committee Chairman for the Catholic Organisation for Social and Religious Advancement (COSRA), a position he still holds.
Career
Following his national service as a teacher at Chiraa Secondary School, Hon Baffour Awuah started his career as an Accountant, working with the European Union funded Micro-projects Project in Atebubu. He then worked as a management trainee and eventually became the Operations Manager for Nsotreman Rural Bank.
In 2001, he made his official entrance into local politics by being appointed as the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the Sunyani Municipal Assembly. He served as the DCE for four (4) years before becoming the Deputy Regional Minister for the Brong Ahafo Region in 2005, then Regional Minister in 2006.
Hon. Baffour Awuah was first elected MP for the Sunyani West Constituency in 2008; and re-elected in 2012, 2016 and 2020.
Since becoming an MP, Hon. Baffour Awuah has served as the Deputy Ranking Member for the Finance Committee (2009 – 2013) and as the 2nd Deputy Minority Whip of Parliament (2013 – 2017). He has also served on the following Parliamentary Committees: Committee on Selection; Environment, Science and Technology Committee and the Local Government Committee.
Hon. Baffour Awuah enjoys keeping healthy by playing football. He is married with four (4) children.
