According to North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the state spent GH136.2 million on their wages and salaries before President Nana Akufo-Addo created a slew of "amorphous" roles at Jubilee House, but that figure has now risen to GH823.8 million.
Church Relations Manager and Diaspora Church Mobilization Officer are among the roles listed on Mr. Ablakwa's Facebook page.
"It is significant to note that their Wages and Salaries shot up astronomically to GH823.8 million from just GH136.2 million in 2020 (an increase of a staggering 508.4 percent) in the 2021 Budget Statement — the year most of these amorphous positions were created at the Office of Government Machinery," Mr. Ablakwa noted.
According to him, GH201.1 million was allocated in 2021, up from GH140.4 million in 2020, for the whole Parliamentary Service (including non-parliamentarians) (representing an increase of 43.2 percent ).
"In comparison, the Office of Government Machinery's wage rise of GH687.6 million in one year (508.4 percent) is more than the GH672 million required to pay NABCo staff for a complete year (see page 241 of the 2021 Budget)," he pointed out.
"Unfortunately, NABCo workers have been underpaid for the past seven months," he said.
Mr. Ablakwa previously wrote on the presidency's growing staff strength in the following post: We finally got President Akufo-Addo to comply with the Presidential Office Act, 1993 (Act 463), which compels him to report on the personnel status in the Office of the President to Parliament once a year.
The study, which was presented to Parliament two months beyond the legal deadline, is fascinating to read.
We will study and discuss the report in due time as part of our oversight responsibilities as MPs.
In the meanwhile, since the study is now available to the public, I'd like to share some early observations:
1) Increasing the overall staff strength from 934 in 2020 to 995 in 2021, including a whopping 337 political appointees, is particularly callous given the present economic crisis.
Despite giving the idea that his massive government is shrinking following his Ministerial selections, we are seeing a rising trend at the White House, which is rather concerning. We have 26 more political appointees than in 2020, bringing the total number of political appointments to 995.
Given comments by senior government officials that the public sector payroll is full, many of us had expected — at the absolute least — a freeze in the Presidency's workforce levels.
2) There is an alarming duplication of duties ostensibly done by a large number of people, which is not only dishonest, but also cannot be considered prudent use of public cedis at a time when we are experiencing the worst economic conditions in a generation.
Using communications to make a point: Many Ghanaians would be shocked to learn that we have three extra Directors of Communications, one of them is Mr. Eugene Arhin.
Frank Adjei Twum, Awudu Moro Kabore, and Ali Adams are their given names.
The Ghanaian Presidency has 4 Directors of Communications, 5 Deputy Directors of Communications, 2 Communications Specialists, 3 Communication Officers, 5 Technical Communications Assistants, a Media Aide, an Assistant Media Liaison Officer, a Communications Consultant, and a Presidential Advisor on Media who also has a Technical Director to the Presidential Advisor, according to President Akufo-list. Addo's The Information Ministry's social media warriors and army are not included in this swarm.
The Akufo-Addo presidency appears to have been designed from the start to prioritize pricey rhetoric above tangible accomplishments.
3) Finally, there's the unethical: Why did the President create the unusual job of "Church Relations Manager" at the White House? This smells like an evil effort to combine politics with preaching. Is Rev. Ebenezer Saaka Ameyaw telling us that this is a full-time position?
Why should taxpayers bear the brunt of this immoral task? What exactly are the rules of engagement for this church relations management? I'm hoping the managerial solution does not entail silencing the Church. There are a lot more questions than answers.
A role inhabited by Fr. Nana K. Ellis, who is believed to be responsible for "Diaspora Church Mobilisation," adds to the uncertainty. What does it imply, and why do we need to mobilize the diaspora Church? What is the purpose of mobilization? How are we going to gauge his output? What happened to make this a priority and a full-time job? Is this the most efficient use of limited public funds?
4) Who established the post of Diaspora Youth Ambassador? What precisely is Jake Obeng-mission Bediako's statement, given his unusual title? What are his KPIs, and how do Parliament and Ghanaians rate his performance? Is this a portfolio worth considering, given our development challenges?
5) Why has the President decided to squander the benefits of his choice not to appoint Deputy Regional Ministers in his second term by creating a new category of Personal and Special Assistants for all Regional Ministers who are paid by the Presidency? Such odious degrees of lying obliterate the public's already poor trust in the noble office of the President.
This country is in desperate need of fresh leadership.
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