Former Member of Parliament for Tafo Pankrono in the Ashanti Region, Dr. Anthony Osei Akoto, has reportedly passed away.

The news of his death was confirmed on the official Facebook page of Parliament of Ghana.

The post read: "Former Old Tafo MP, Hon. Dr. Anthony Osei Akoto passes away. May he rest in peace."

The cause of his death is not immediately know as the family has not yet released any statement on his passing.

It is believed he passed away after battling illness.

He was 70 years old.

The late Anthony Akoto Osei was a banker and politician who served in the cabinet of ex-President John Agyekum Kufuor as Minister of State for Finance and Economic Planning.

He also worked as Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning in May 2003 and was a major economic adviser to the government.

On 27 March 2002, he became a member of the Management Board of Merchant Bank (Ghana) Ltd. Prior to that, he haf worked as Associate Professor at Dollard University (USA) and previously as a Research Assistant at the Center for Policy Analysis (Ghana).

In May, 2017, President Nana Akufo-Addo named Anthony Akoto Osei as part of nineteen ministers who would form his cabinet.

As a Cabinet minister, Anthony Akoto Osei was part of the inner circle of the President and aided in key decision-making activities in the country.