“Mahama Hasn’t Added a Cedi to Appointee Salaries” – Kwakye Ofosu

The government has dismissed claims that President John Mahama is presiding over a sharp rise in the Presidency’s wage bill despite cutting the number of political appointees.

At a press briefing on June 15, 2026, Presidential Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu described the reports as “ignorant propaganda” and insisted the President has not increased any salaries inherited from the previous administration.

Kwakye Ofosu said the premise of those reports is wrong.

“President Mahama has not added one cedi to the salaries of his appointees at the Presidency that he came to meet, and it must be placed strictly on record. So that is that,” he stated.

He explained that publications this morning sought to create the impression that the President had increased pay for political appointees, hence the higher budget despite fewer staff.

He added that NPP propagandists making the same claim know better, since they benefited from the same salary structure while in office.

The Spokesperson also cited constitutional provisions to back the denial. Under the Constitution, emoluments for Article 71 officeholders — including ministers, presidential staffers and other top state officials — can only be adjusted through a committee appointed by the President.

“We all know that when it comes to fixing the emoluments, that is the salaries and working conditions, of Article 71 officeholders, the law is clear, the constitution is clear, that the president must set up a committee to determine those emoluments,” he said.

“For the avoidance of doubt, President Mahama has not set up a committee to determine the emoluments and working conditions of Article 71 officeholders. So the salaries and conditions of Article 71 officeholders who are working today under President Mahama were the terms documented, all the NPP activists making those false claims know.”

Mr Kwakye Ofosu stressed that current appointees at the Presidency are still on the salary and conditions of service set by the previous administration.

The rebuttal comes after reports noted that while political appointees at Jubilee House were reduced from 357 in 2023 to 233 in 2025, the Office of the President’s compensation budget is projected to rise from ¢100 million in 2025 to ¢248 million in 2026.

That raised questions about whether a leaner Presidency was becoming more expensive.

Click to read more: https://opemsuo.com/author/hajara-fuseini/