There are less than 60 political appointees at Presidency – Kwakye Ofosu

Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Ofosu Kwakye, has dismissed claims that President Mahama has appointed more than necessary presidential staffers to work at the Presidency.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, he said the President is committed to his promise of avoiding frivolous expenditure and would not burden the coffers of the state.

The Abura Asebu-Kwamankese MP disclosed that only 30 presidential staffers are currently working at the Presidency as against the 337 political appointees by the ex-president Akufo-Addo.

“Mr. Speaker if you come to the Presidential staff, if you take out the civil servants who worked under the Akufo-Addo administration, there were 337 political appointees by President Akufo-Addo.

“As I speak to you, there are 26 presidential staffers and four Directors. If you put together the total number of people who work at the Presidency where I operate from, they will not amount to 60 yet they had 337 political appointees,” he noted.

He insisted that the President has demonstrated his commitment to cut expenditure by fulfilling his promise of appointing not more than 60 ministers.

“If you move from 123/125 ministers to 60 ministers, Mr Speaker, that means that you are going to buy 60 less Land Cruisers. You are going to buy 60 less salon cars. You will need to provide 60 less bungalows.

“You will need to provide 60 less sets of political aids and executive assistants and what have you. Mr Speaker, President Mahama has not limited himself to just reducing the number of ministers. In any event that I speak to you, there are only 56 ministers. And in fact, they are 42 ministers running Ghana as we speak, because deputy ministers have not been approved,” he said.

However, contributing to the debate on the floor, Former Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Samuel Abu Jinapor claimed that President Mahama has truly appointed less than 60 Ministers but has packed the Jubilee House with so many presidential staffers.

“Mr. Speaker when you want to see the size of government and its bearing on the national ex-checker, don’t just look at the Ministers and deputy ministers, look at the government size holistically.

“I want to submit that if you look at this government size holistically, the Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Presidential staffers, presidential aides, presidential advisors, President Mahama has formed arguably one of the biggest governments in the history of our government as it relates to the course of our national ex-checker,” he asserted.

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