Boateng and Muntari were sent home from Brazil in disgrace after an altercation with a team official, while Essien refused to take part in a warm-up for Ghana's final Group G game against Portugal and has not featured since.
When hired, Grant claimed he would remain open to recalling any player, regardless of past indiscretions, but the Israeli has opted not to call on any of the three midfielders in his provisional 31-man selection.
One man called up for the first time since the World Cup is right-back Samuel Inkoom, though goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey – who was vocal in his criticisms of the Ghana Football Association after the tournament – remains unselected.
Five foreign-based players - defender Daniel Amartey, midfielders Adu Kofi and Ibrahim Moro, as well as strike duo Kwesi Appiah and David Accam – have been handed first call-ups, with the tournament slated to begin in Equatorial Guinea on January 17.
Appiah's inclusion is a major surprise, given that the 24-year-old is currently plying his trade with English fourth-tier side Cambridge United, where he is on loan from Crystal Palace.
Ghana have been placed in a mouth-watering Group C alongside Algeria, Senegal and South Africa.
Squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Razak Braimah (Mirandes), Adams Stephen (Aduana Stars), Fatau Dauda (AshGold) and Ernest Sowah (Don Bosco)
Defenders: Harrison Afful (Esperance), John Boye (Erciyesspor), Jonathan Mensah (Evian), Jeffery Schlupp (Leicester City), Awal Mohammed (Maritzburg), Kwabena Adusei (Mpumalanga Black Aces), Baba Rahman (Augsburg), Gyimah Edwin (Mpumalanga Black Aces), Samuel Inkoom (Houston Dynamo), Daniel Amartey, (FC Copenhagen)
Midfielders: Rabiu Mohammed (Krasnodar), Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu (Udinese), Afriyie Acquah (Parma), Solomon Asante (T.P. Mazembe), Christian Atsu (Everton), Mubarak Wakaso (Celtic), Andre Ayew (Olympique Marseille), Alfred Duncan (Sampdoria), Albert Adomah (Middlesbrough), Frank Acheampong (Anderlecht), Adu Kofi (Malmo), Ibrahim Moro (AIK Stockholm)
Strikers: Jordan Ayew (Lorient), Abdul-Majeed Waris (Trabzonspor), Asamoah Gyan (Al Ain), Kwesi Appiah (Crystal Palace) and David Accam (Chicago Fire)