Ibrahim Mohammed Awal

On 12 January 2017, Mohammed Awal was nominated by President Akuffo-Addo for the position of Minister for Business Development.^[3][8] The ministry was a new ministry and is to formulate policies and facilitate the work of Ghana's private sector.^[9][10] His appointment was hailed by the Ghana Union of Traders, the Association of Ghana Industries and the general business community in the country with most wondering why it had not been established earlier under previous governments.^[9][10] He was vetted by the appointments committee of the Parliament of Ghana on 7 February 2017.^[11][12] During his vetting he made known to the committee that he would help set up 20 bid companies by 2020 to reduce unemployment.^[13] Under this policy his ministry would help promote the interest of business by reducing interest rates, do away with nuisance taxes and speed up the rate for business registration while protecting locally manufactured goods from unfair competition from foreign imports.^[13] Another policy he announced to the committee was to ensure that more women in Ghana could own their own business.^[11] He was approved by parliament and sworn in by President Akuffo-Addo on 10 February 2017.^[14][15] In May 2017, he made it known that it was his ministry's plan encourage the private sector to grow the economy and triple annual gross domestic product to 200 billion cedis by 2020.^[16] Dr. Awal has disclosed at the launch of the Zongo Business Initiative in Tamale that government has allocated ¢10m to support Zongo youth entrepreneurs in the five regions of the north, to help flake up their businesses.^[17]

Mohammed Awal is Muslim and is married with four children.^[1]