The Presidency has dismissed as false and misleading reports that President John Dramani Mahama increased the salaries of political appointees, saying the current conditions of service were determined by the previous administration.
The Minister of State in charge of Government Communications and Spokesperson to the President, Felix Kwakye-Ofosu, addressing the media on Monday, said the claims, some of which appeared in the media and others pushed by opposition New Patriotic Party activists, were uninformed and inaccurate.
“President Mahama has not added one cedi to the salaries of political appointees at the Presidency that he came to meet. This must be placed strictly on record,” the Spokesperson said.
Under Ghana’s Constitution, the emoluments of Article 71 office holders, including the President, Vice President, ministers, deputy ministers, and Members of Parliament, can only be determined by a constitutionally mandated committee.
The most recent of such committee, chaired by Dr Janet Ampadu Fofie, was set up at the tail end of the Akufo-Addo administration, and its determinations are what currently apply.
The Spokesperson confirmed that ministers, deputy ministers, and MPs who served in the 8th Parliament have since received ex gratia payments and top-up salaries following the Ampadu Fofie committee’s findings, including 137 NPP Members of Parliament.
“When those same people turn around and come to tell you that the numbers are reduced but the figures have gone up, they are peddling ignorant propaganda,” the Spokesperson said.
An outstanding top-up for political appointees who worked at the Presidency between 2021 and 2024 is still being processed by the Finance Ministry, the Spokesperson added.
President Mahama has said publicly that he will not set up a fresh emoluments committee, and has instead called for an independent body to review all public and civil service salaries to remove disparities.
That position is being considered as part of the ongoing Constitutional Review process, with Cabinet having held a three-day session over the weekend to deliberate on the Constitutional Review Commission’s report.