1,201 Public workers cleared for recruitment

A committee set up by the government has recommended the reinstatement of 1,201 revoked appointments, recruitments and promotions carried out within the Public Service as the current administration took office in January 2025.

Consequently, all the 1,201 people wrongly affected by the revocation order are to be effectively reinstated to their posts, positions or promotions.

At a media briefing at the Presidency in Accra yesterday, the Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, said the committee found out that those appointments complied with due process.

The committee was set up by the Chief of Staff to look into the revocation of the recruitment, appointments, and promotions of persons into the Public Service after the December 7, 2024, elections.

A total of 2,080 people had their recruitments, appointments and promotions revoked per a directive by the Chief of Staff following concerns that the previous government had rushed through some recruitments, appointments and promotions in the wake of the electoral defeat and departure from office.

The committee, however, endorsed the revocation of 541 appointments for failing to comply with due process.

“Obviously, the recruitments, appointments and promotions revoked were made in clear breach of procedures and directives issued during the transition period and did not comply with the Regulatory Framework and Guidelines for Recruitments, Appointments and Promotions in the Public Service,” Mr Ofosu said.

The committee upheld 338 appointments of persons with disability, effectively reinstating them or maintaining them at post.

Facts

Giving the background to the issue, Mr Ofosu said at the very first meeting of the Joint Transition Team formed after the 2024 elections on December 17, 2024, the side of the incoming government raised concerns about “reports of rushed and unlawful recruitments being made into public institutions in the immediate aftermath of the elections and substantial payments to contractors and other creditors”.

He said the incoming government’s side of the Transition Team left the meeting under the clear impression that an agreement had been reached by both sides for all ongoing recruitments, promotions, significant statutory payments, and related activities to be submitted for the Joint Team’s review.

“Following the total disregard of this agreement by the outgoing government, I authored a statement on behalf of the incoming government stating our intent to revoke all such appointments and subjecting same to thorough investigations.

“On February 10, 2025, the Chief of Staff issued a letter directing that all appointments and recruitments made unlawfully after December 7, 2024, should be revoked,” the minister said.

He said reports, however, filtered through shortly afterwards that some persons who were lawfully employed before December 7, 2024 or whose recruitment processes had commenced but had not been concluded before the elections, also had their appointments revoked.

Consequently, the Chief of Staff established the committee to investigate all affected recruitments, appointments and promotions, assess their compliance with established public sector processes, and make the necessary recommendations. 

Committee members

The members of the committee were a Deputy Chief of Staff and Chairperson of the Committee, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo; the Commissioner, Public Services Commission, Dr Prince Edward Darah; the Director, Human Resource, Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment, Roda Gavor; a representative of Organised Labour, Bernard Adjei; the Director, Finance and Administration, Office of the President, C. W. Ayiku, who acted as Secretary.

The committee’s work, Mr Ofosu said, spanned March 21, 2025, to April 30, 2025, during which period it received 43 reports from institutions and individual petitioners.

Of the 43 institutions, 36 appeared before the committee.

The institutions included the Office of the Administrator-General, the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, the Ghana Post Company Limited, the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, the Ghana Shippers’ Authority, the National Health Insurance Authority, the Office of the Head of Local Government Service, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, and the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice.

Others were the Petroleum Commission, the Public Procurement Authority, the National Communications Authority, the Ghana Meteorological Agency, the Northern Electricity Distribution Company, the National Pensions Regulatory Authority, the Tema Oil Refinery, the Ministry of Health, the Ghana National Gas Company, the Volta River Authority, the Bui Power Authority, and the Ghana TVET Service.

The rest were the Ghana Investments Promotion Centre, the Electoral Commission, the Gaming Commission of Ghana, the Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation and Prevention Bureau, Ghana Maritime Authority, PSC Tema Shipyard Limited, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, Metro Mass Transit Limited, University of Business and Integrated Development Studies, Minerals Income Investment Fund, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust, and the University of Energy and Natural Resources.

No witch-hunt

The minister said the decision to revoke the appointments was not a witch-hunt and had no political motive beyond a desire to uphold due process and ensure compliance with the rules and proper procedures governing such recruitments and appointments.

“It was done without malice or ill-feeling towards anyone,” he said.

Instead, Mr Ofosu said, it was a necessary step to uphold the rule of law and ensure accountability