The government has upheld 1,539 recruitments, appointments, and promotions while revoking 541 that were made after the December 7, 2024 elections for failing to meet compliance requirements.
A committee established by the Chief of Staff to investigate all affected cases found that 1,539 complied with prescribed recruitment and promotion procedures and received appointment letters before December 7, 2024.
The committee recommended, however, that the recruitments, appointments, and promotions of 541 persons be revoked because the recruitment processes ended after December 7, 2024, and failed to meet the 80% pass mark for procedural compliance.
Spokesperson to the President and Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, announced this on Tuesday at the government accountability series press conference in Accra.
The Minister explained that in total, there were 2,080 recruitments, appointments, and promotions reported by institutions when they appeared before the committee.
He revealed that out of the 2,080 cases, 879 were revoked by the institutions themselves while 1,201 appointments were left unrevoked.
Mr Kwakye Ofosu noted that the number recommended for revocation by the committee was lower than the number that institutions themselves revoked in the wake of the Chief of Staff’s directive.
He explained that this differential is because the committee paid special attention to vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities, particularly within the Ghana Education Service.
“There were some of our compatriots who suffered some disability, but we found that their recruitments should be revoked because they did not comply with the laid-down process. But because of their peculiar situation and the hardship that could be imposed upon them if we were to enforce this directive, they were given some clemency,” Mr Kwakye Ofosu stated.
The Minister disclosed that the committee was chaired by Nana Oye Bampoe-Addo, Deputy Chief of Staff, with members including Dr Prince Edward Gara, Commissioner of the Public Services Commission, Ms Rhoda Gavone, Director of HR at the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment, Mr Bernard Ejeyi, a representative of Organised Labour, and Mr CW Ayuku, a Director of Finance at the Office of the President.
He revealed that the committee’s work spanned March 21, 2025 to April 30, 2025, receiving 43 reports from institutions and individual petitioners.
MrKwakye Ofosu stated that of the 36 institutions that appeared before the committee, 28 had commenced the recruitment processes before the December 7 elections.
He disclosed that 13 institutions revoked appointments in response to the December 7, 2024 revocation directive, while 17 institutions did not revoke their appointments but sought guidance from the Office of the President.
The Minister noted that 16 of the cases reported by the institutions were mainly payroll related.
He explained that the committee developed a checklist of indicators to assess whether cases under investigation complied with prescribed processes for recruitment, appointments, and promotions.
The documents requested by the committee included evidence of declaration of vacancy, a copy of the appropriate advertisement, a copy of approved scheme of service, copy of technical clearance, copy of financial clearance, a copy of the interview report, a copy of the appointment letter, a copy of the acceptance letter, and copy of a payslip where necessary.
Mr Kwakye Ofosu recalled that at the very first meeting of the joint transition team formed after the 2024 elections, the incoming government side raised concerns about reports of rushed and unlawful recruitments being made into public institutions in the immediate aftermath of the elections.
He stated that the incoming government side left that meeting under the clear impression that an agreement had been reached for all ongoing recruitments, promotions, and related activities to be submitted for the joint team’s review.
The Minister noted that following the total disregard of this agreement by the outgoing government, he authored a statement on behalf of the incoming government stating the intent to review all such appointments and subject them to thorough investigations.
He disclosed that on February 10, 2025, the Chief of Staff issued a letter directing that all appointments and recruitments made unlawfully after December 7, 2024, should be revoked.
Mr Kwakye Ofosu stated that shortly after, reports filtered in that some persons who were lawfully employed before December 7, 2024, or whose recruitment processes had commenced but had not been completed before the elections, also had their appointments revoked.
He explained that in order to ensure fairness and prevent innocent persons from suffering unduly, the Chief of Staff established the committee to investigate all affected cases, assess their compliance with established public sector processes, and make recommendations.
The Minister emphasized that the revoked appointments were made in clear breach of procedures and directives issued during the transition period and did not comply with the regulatory framework governing public service recruitments.
He stated that the decision was not based on witch-hunt and there was no political motive beyond the desire to uphold due process and ensure compliance with rules and proper procedures.
“It was done without malice or ill-feeling towards anyone. It was a necessary step to uphold the rule of law and ensure accountability. The previous government was fully aware that the requirements were not met in those cases and still went ahead to sanction them,” Mr. Kwakye Ofosu said.
He noted that the previous government completely disregarded the incoming administration’s entreaties and requests to be consulted so that both sides could be on the same page and have an opportunity to review the processes.
Among the 36 institutions that appeared before the committee were the Ghana Revenue Authority, National Health Insurance Authority, Electoral Commission, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Volta River Authority, Social Security and National Insurance Trust, Ghana Education Service, Tema Oil Refinery, and Metro Mass Transit Limited.
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