Moses Asaga

Moses Aduku Asaga
Moses Aduku Asaga
Born	1957
Nationality	Ghanaian
Alma mater	Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology; University of Aberdeen; Yonsei University; Durham University
Occupation(s)	Economist, Politician
Years active	1997–2013 (Member of Parliament)
Known for	Member of Parliament for Nabdam constituency; Minister for Employment and Social Welfare; CEO of National Petroleum Authority

Moses Aduku Asaga is a Ghanaian economist and politician who represented the Nabdam constituency in the Upper East Region as a Member of Parliament from 1997 until 2013. In the 2012 parliamentary elections, he was unseated by Boniface Agambilla of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who had also been his opponent in the 2008 polls. During his political career, Asaga was appointed as the Minister for Employment and Social Welfare in early 2012 following a cabinet reshuffle initiated by President John Atta Mills.

Asaga's initial ministerial nomination in 2009 was retracted due to controversy surrounding ex-gratia payments he had approved. After President John Dramani Mahama assumed office in 2012, Nii Armah Ashietey succeeded him as Minister for Employment and Social Welfare. Later, in 2013, Mahama designated Asaga as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority, a significant regulatory institution within Ghana’s energy sector.

Early life and education

Moses Asaga earned a BSc degree in Industrial Chemistry from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, followed by an MSc in Petroleum Engineering from Aberdeen University. He also holds an MBA specializing in Finance from Yonsei University and an MPhil in Financial Economics from Durham University, United Kingdom.

Career

With a background in economics and banking, Asaga worked as a manager and project financier at the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) based in Tema.

Political career

Affiliated with the National Democratic Congress, Asaga served as the parliamentary representative for the Nabdam area beginning January 2005. His tenure spanned both the fourth and fifth parliaments of Ghana’s Fourth Republic.

Elections

Asaga secured his first parliamentary victory on the National Democratic Congress platform in 1996, obtaining 8,490 votes out of 11,348 valid ballots cast, representing 56.3%. In the 2004 elections, he garnered 6,450 votes (59.8%) from a total of 10,778 valid votes, contributing to the NDC’s capture of nine out of thirteen parliamentary seats within Ghana’s Upper East Region. Nationally, his party held a minority position with 94 seats out of 230.

During the 2008 general elections, Asaga was re-elected with 5,369 votes (47.81%) among 11,230 valid votes cast. The NDC maintained eight out of thirteen seats in the Upper East Region but remained a minority nationally with 114 seats out of 230. His principal challengers included candidates from the New Patriotic Party, People's National Convention, and Convention People's Party, whose vote shares ranged from 0.44% to 45.39%.

Personal life

Asaga practices Catholicism as his Christian faith.

References