Jubilee House Staff In 2022 Swelled “Abominably” To 1,048 

The Office of President Akufo-Addo has disclosed there were 1,048 employed staff members in the Office as of December 2022.

Out of the number were two Ministers of State and forty-four (44) Senior Presidential Staffers, 315 other political appointees and 687 categories of staff of Public sector Organisations.

This was contained in the Annual Report on the staffing position of the Office of the President for the period 1st January to 31st December 2022 submitted to Parliament.

It is in compliance with section 11 of the Presidential Office Act, 1993 (Act 463).

Political Appointees 

In a press statement, the Jubilee House explained that the total of 361 political appointees at the Office of the President has “only” 163 persons working there physically.

“The others work in the offices to which they have been assigned.” 

315 political appointees excluding the two Ministers of State and 44 Senior Presidential Staffers include Special Assistants, Executive Assistants, Personal Assistants to Ministers of State and Regional Ministers, employees in the Office of the Vice President, Aides and Assistants assigned to the First Lady and Second Lady.

Also are employees assigned to Government agencies under the Office of the President, such as NEIP, Free SHS Secretariat, MASLOC, Special Development Initiatives Secretariat, Monitoring and Evaluation Secretariat, Zongo and Inner Cities Development Secretariat, amongst others.

Sector Organizations 

The 687 categories of staff of Public sector Organisations assigned to the Office of the President include Administrative, Executive/Clerical, Records, Secretarial, Budget, Procurement and Supply Chain Management, Presidential Household, and staff from the Department of Parks and Gardens, Ghana Health Service, Controller and Accountant General’s Department, Ghana Audit Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Public Works Department (Prestige), and Ghana Postal Company.

It justified, “these categories of staff were appointed by their respective public institutions, and the Civil Service and have always been assigned to the Office of the President during previous governments”.

“Abominable”

According to the Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the number of staff increased from 995 in 2021.

He termed it as “abominable”.

This, he said, was unprecedented in the country’s history.

“From available records in Parliament, the highest number of comparative political appointees ever reported in the entire Fourth Republic was 70 in 2012 which declined remarkably to 31 by 2015. In reality, President Akufo-Addo has added an incredible 291 political appointees to the NDC’s highest number. That is a spike of some 415.7%”, he posted on Facebook.

By this, Ablakwa said President Akufo-Addo is “intransigent, insensitive and stony-hearted” to the plights of Ghanaians.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini