Demand precise roles, salaries of ‘supersized’ presidential staff – CDD to Parliament

The Ghana Centre for Democratic Development(CDD-Ghana) wants Parliament and the Council of State to rein in the Akufo-Addo administration’s supersized presidential staff submitted to the legislature saying the situation has arguably direct fiscal cost to the nation.

A statement by the Centre and signed by Communications Officer, Efua Idan Atadja said :”The Center is especially disappointed at the President’s decision to continue this trend of overstaffing at the Presidency, given the public concerns raised over his appointment last year of 110 Ministers and Deputy Ministers.”

What’s quite worrying for the Centre is the President return to fiscal profligacy after he[Akufo-Addo] going round championing a ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ agenda, and being immersed in that self-sufficiency and prosperity goal, a vision many Ghanaians appear to have embraced.

The statement further added:”there is widespread expectation that the Presidency would lead the way toward that noble goal by signaling through its conduct an end to profligacy and an exceptional commitment to economy in the expenditure of public resources.”

The CDD-Ghana is thus calling for discipline in the running of the Presidency, as the situations tends to “undermine the credibility of the President’s pledge to protect the public purse by ensuring judicious use of scarce state resources.”

Recommendation

Parliament, in the immediate term, to review the list submitted by the Presidency and demand additional information and clarity as to the precise roles and duties of the many political personnel listed with uninformative and vague job titles as well as require a disclosure of the salaries and emoluments attached to the listed positions. In the medium to long term, Parliament must review the Presidential Office Act, along with the Civil Service Act (as amended), with a view to depopulating the Presidency of the many needless agencies that currently fall within its organogram.

? The Council of State to take its consultative role seriously and counsel the President appropriately concerning overstaffing at the Presidency, including the associated fiscal costs and the unfavourable perception it creates of profligacy in the conduct of the business of government at the seat of the Presidency.