Afeku entered Ghanaian politics in the early 2000s during the presidency of
John Agyekum Kufuor. Afeku was appointed Chairperson of the Leadership Taskforce of the
United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). This was announced on 25 January 2018.
Vetting controversy Prior to being vetted by the Parliamentary Appointment Committee, reports emerged that Catherine and her husband were defendants in a civil case of breach of contract in 2007. The reports showed that the Afekus had been directed by an
Accra High Court to pay $217,464.00 plus 50% interest to an American couple, Patricia and Bill Gick, after charges of fraud had been brought against them. Catherine and her husband had failed to honour the instructions of the court. A pressure group calling itself Truth and Accountable Governance petitioned President Akuffo-Addo to remove her from her ministerial position. When probed by the committee, Afeku made it known that payment had not been made because an appeal filed in 2013 was yet to be heard; hence, she could not preempt judgement. During the vetting process, members of the
minority argued that approval should not be given because she had not done the one-year mandatory
National Service. Her nomination was approved on 11 February 2017 after she presented the Appointments Committee with a waiver letter given her by the National Service Secretariat. The approval was by consensus. ==Personal life==