Overhaul civil service – AFAG tells Akufo-Addo

Pressure group Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) has charged President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo to overhaul the civil service for efficiency and productivity.

In a press conference organised in Accra on Tuesday, December 13, AFAG General Secretary Arnold Boateng argued that for maximum productivity and development of the nation, some changes needed to be effected within the civil service.

“We hope that the civil service will be overhauled to reflect the expectations of the new government and its policies. Indeed, some of them are more partisan, others are there without merit, and some purely on vested interest,” he disclosed.

He was of the view that “we have to hunt all those who have a vested interest theory and we believe [that] not all of them are professionals”, adding: “This institution will have to be completely overhauled and that is the position of AFAG.”

Meanwhile, the pressure group is also calling on the President-elect and his yet-to-be-formed government to deal with corruption cases ruthlessly and investigate all cases dating back to 2008 under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.

Mr Boateng called for a scrutiny of “all ministries, especially the Sports Ministry”.

AFAG also highlighted that it would not relent on its efforts to expose any corrupt practices in the incoming government, and called on all citizens to join efforts in rooting out corruption from governance.

“We shall embark on institutional corruption exposure in all the ministries. We shall relentlessly help government in the fight against corruption,” Mr Boateng added.

They also charged citizens to desist from stampeding or undermining the incoming government and cautioned individuals working in the civil service “not to attempt any sabotage”.

Even before the Transition Team finishes its work and ahead of the swearing-in of the president-elect, AFAG has re-echoed the need for the incoming New Patriotic Party (NPP) government “to reduce taxes in the industrial sector as a means of kick- starting businesses”.

Mr. Boateng said the NPP promised reducing taxes and “we will make them accountable” for the betterment of Ghana.

For them, over-taxation has led to corruption and “underground businesses are rather flourishing”. They are, therefore, proposing a “tax amnesty” to help the group of local business.