Accra, Aug. 29, GNA - Dr Alex Glover-Quartey, Head of the Civil Service, on Friday cautioned against the leaking of classified information saying this has tarnished the image of the Service and the country.
Speaking at the swearing-in of 14 new Chief Directors of the civil Service after a 10-day orientation course, he noted that the Service had in recent times come under a barrage of attacks for the leakage of information to the public.
Dr Glover-Quartey said they had been positioned to stop such occurrences of un-professionalism and asked them to train their staff to adhere to these instructions.
"I expect that you will go to your respective Ministries and Establishments, having been reminded now about the presence around you of purveyors of classified information and material, to similarly re-orientate your staff about the need to know principle and the consequences of such careless disclosure of information to unauthorised persons."
He told the Chief Directors that they would be held accountable for their performance.
Mr Justice Aryeetey, a Justice of the Appeal Court, swore them into office. They took the Oaths of Office, Secrecy and Allegiance. Dr Glover-Quartey told them that the oaths they had taken required absolute loyalty to the state through the government.
He said they should not only be supportive of their various Ministers in their work but also demonstrate total commitment to the implementation of government policies, plans and programmes. Dr Glover-Quartey implored the Chief Directors to act as effective props for their Ministers, fine-tune what they say and give them sincere, honest and professional advice on matters that come before them.
The Head of Civil Service cautioned the Chief Directors not to trivialise the ceremony as a mere ritual, but must see it as one, which implored them to be loyal to the citizens of Ghana and the government of the day.
He said with their appointment, the Service should begin to enjoy the kind of leadership, which had eluded it for many decades. Dr Ebenezar Debrah, Chairman of the Civil Service Council, urged the Chief Directors to adopt the principle of teamwork to achieve the desired results.
He noted that if Civil Servants were to be depended on to work diligently towards achieving the Golden Age of Business, then the right conditions should be created to boost their morale. "Ghana will move faster and more surely if we will not think of our narrow personal advantages, but will emphasize what is good, honest and beneficial to our country and people as a whole."
The Chief Directors are: Mr Paul Agyiri, Finance and Economic Planning;
Mr Timothy Larweh Ogum, Office of the Head of Civil Service, Mrs Bridget Katsriku, Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City; Mrs Regina Apotsi, Justice; and Mr Kweku Owusu Baah, Food and Agriculture. Others are: Mr Christian Edu Atiemo, Office of the President; Mr Simon Puli, Foreign Affairs; Mr Emmanuel Quaye, Women and Children's Affairs; Mr Frank Mpare, Ministry of Defence; Mr Edwin Barnes, the Interior and Mr Kojo Amoakwa, Manpower, Development and Employment. The rest are: Mr Joe Issaka, Office of the Vice President; Mr Mike Gabah, Public Service Commission and Mr Atto Essuman, Education Youth and Sports.
