Prof. Ransford Gyampo, Lecturer, University of Ghana
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA),has demanded that the appointment powers of the President be streamlined and exercised in a manner that promotes inclusivity and meritocracy in the public sector and not by party loyalty.
Prof. Ransford Gyampo, a Research Fellow at the IEA who made the call during a roundtable discussion, said such exercise would help bring to an end the Winner-Takes-All (WTA) politics and its attendant feeling of marginalization in the country.
According to him, that would also relieve the President of the work load and burden to appoint so many people into office and also be able to focuson other critical issues and areas of governance.
He warned that the President should not appoint members of the executive based on their political backgrounds but on merit.
Mr Gyampo, who is also a senior lecturer at the University of Ghana (UG) recommended that all MMDCEs be elected and CEOs be appointed by an independent constituted body and not the President.
“Make appointments of Chief Executive Officers of public corporations and institutions and other analogous positions transparent, competitive, well-advertised, inclusive, bi-partisan and based on competence,” he said.
According to him, officials like the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Chief Justice, Justices of the Supreme Court, and the Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson should be appointed by the President only after they have been nominated by a constituted body to be composed of several groups such political parties, religious, and traditional bodies, civil society organizations, the judiciary, the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) Trades Union Congress (TUC), among others.
For the vetting and approval of ministerial appointees, he said, it should be done by two-thirds majority of all Members of Parliament as against the current practice of simple majority.
Professor Gyampoh advised that Presidents must reach out to the main opposition political parties in search of competent people to help govern the country,” according to him.
He further stated Council of State should not be given the mandate to appoint its members. The Chiefs should be given that mandate to choose the people they want to work with.
