Mahama Cracks Down On Private Award Schemes For Ministers

President John Dramani Mahama has directed Ministers of State, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of state institutions and other political appointees to refrain from participating in or accepting awards from private organisations unless they receive prior approval from the Office of the President.

The directive, communicated in a statement from the Presidency, comes amid what the President describes as a growing trend of public officials receiving honours from private entities claiming to recognise them as the “best-performing,” “most outstanding,” or “most influential” office holders.

The directive also comes at a time when a growing number of private award schemes are conferring honours on ministers, chief executives and other public officials, a development that has attracted public scrutiny and raised questions about the credibility of some award organisers, the transparency of their selection processes and the appropriateness of public office holders accepting such accolades while in office.

According to the Presidency, many of these award-giving organisations are largely unknown to the public, operate with unclear credentials and often lack transparent, objective and verifiable criteria for assessing the performance of public officials.

“In many instances, the organisations conferring such awards are largely unknown to the public, their credentials are unclear, and no transparent, objective, or verifiable criteria exist for assessing the performance of public officials,” the statement said.

The Presidency warned that the proliferation of such awards has the potential to undermine the integrity of public service, create misconceptions about government performance and expose the government to unnecessary public criticism and embarrassment.

President Mahama stressed that public office is a responsibility entrusted to officials by the people of Ghana and that performance cannot be measured through privately organised ceremonies, self-appointed rating bodies or commercial award schemes whose methodologies and standards are not subject to public scrutiny.

As a result, all ministers, CEOs of state institutions and political appointees have been instructed not to participate in, sponsor, endorse, attend or accept awards from such organisations unless expressly authorised by the Presidency.

The statement emphasised that the government remains focused on delivering on its commitments to Ghanaians and that the true measure of performance lies in the successful implementation of policies and programmes outlined in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) 2024 Manifesto and the broader government development agenda.

It explained that ministers and chief executives would be assessed based on measurable results, effective service delivery, prudent management of public resources and the achievement of agreed sector-specific targets.

The Presidency also disclosed that a comprehensive review of the performance of ministers and CEOs would be undertaken in due course.According to the statement, the outcome of that assessment will play a significant role in determining whether officials are retained in office, reassigned or affected by any future Cabinet or executive reshuffle.

President Mahama therefore urged public officials to focus on delivering results and fulfilling their mandates rather than pursuing external recognition from organisations whose credibility may be in doubt.

The Presidency maintained that public service must be judged by tangible outcomes and measurable impact rather than by awards conferred by private entities whose assessment criteria remain unclear. The latest directive is therefore expected to reshape the relationship between public officials and the growing industry of private award schemes operating across the country.

 

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