Cecilia Abena Dapaah

Cecilia Abena Dapaah (born 27 November 1954)

Early life and education

Cecilia Abena Dapaah was born on 27 November 1954 hails from Mpasatia in the Ashanti Region. She attended the University of Ghana, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and linguistics in 1979. She holds a certificate in leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a postgraduate certificate in International Development Studies from the University of Oslo.

Political life Dapaah was a development worker by profession She won on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party. The New Patriotic Party won a majority total of 128 parliamentary seats out of 230 seats. She was elected with 41,064 votes out of 49,174 total valid votes cast equivalent to 83.5% of total valid votes cast. Her constituency was part of the 34 parliamentary seats out of 39 seats won by the New Patriotic Party in that election for the Ashanti Region. The New Patriotic Party won a minority total of 109 parliamentary seats out of 230 seats. She was elected with 36,708 votes out of 48,476 total valid votes cast equivalent to 75.72% of total valid votes cast. During her vetting, she testified that she would improve the aviation industry in Ghana, and that her priority was to restart a national carrier by 2019. She was of the view that the unavailability of the carrier was depriving Ghana of several millions of cedis in revenue.

Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources Dapaah was moved to the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources in 2018.

Controversy According to a press statement released by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), Dapaah was taken into custody on Monday, July 24, 2023, at 11:55 GMT. The arrest was connected to alleged corruption and corruption-related activities involving substantial sums of money and valuable items, which were reportedly stolen from her residence in 2022 by two of her domestic workers.

One Madam Hannah Fosua, said to be the wife of a former driver of the Minister claimed her husband lost his job working for Ms Dapaah because he drew attention to the behaviour of the accused persons.

Andy Appiah-Kubi, the Member of Parliament for Asante-Akim North suggested on TV3 that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo should have kept his comments about the innocence or otherwise of the Minister to himself.

In September 2023, the Accra High Court ordered the Office of the Special Prosecutor to unfreeze and return the money in her bank accounts. The office obeyed the directive but later froze her bank account again and her investments. The office returned her seized cash amounts.

Personal life

Dapaah is married with one child. She is a member of the Methodist Church.