Article 71 is archaic – IEA boss

The Director of Research at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), Dr John Kwakye, has intimated that Article 71 which makes provision for office holders to receive salaries and emoluments has long served its purpose and needs to be scrapped.

Reacting to the President’s recent inauguration of a five-member ex-gratia committee, he said it was a needless exercise.

“Article 71 is an archaic provision that needs to be expunged from the Constitution,” he wrote on Twitter on September 3, 2023.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo inaugurated a five-member committee for ex-gratia on September 1, 2023.

The committee’s duty will be to determine the emoluments and privileges of Article 71 officeholders.

It will also consider salaries and allowances of political office holders or any other offices the Committee deems fit per the constitution.

The committee members are:

Dr. Janet Fofie – Chairperson

Prof. Gyan Baffour – Member

Dr. Osei-Akoto – Member

Madam Gloria Ofori Buodu – Member

Mr. Ben Arthur – Member

President Akufo-Addo while speaking at the inauguration said, “I must indicate that in recent times, [there’s been] a lot of public discourse surrounding the remuneration of public officers, except the primary of those of Article 71 office holders, and whether or not, notwithstanding the constitutional imperatives were deserving of what is being paid to us.

“In view of the challenges currently confronting our national economy. It might well be that your work should also focus on these concerns and make recommendations on how they should be addressed,” he added.

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