President John Dramani Mahama has directed all Ministers of State, Chief Executive Officers of State Institutions, and other political appointees to refrain from participating in, sponsoring, endorsing, or accepting awards from private organisations without the express authorisation of the Office of the President.
The directive, conveyed through a formal communiqué signed by the Secretary to the President, Dr. Callistus Mahama, follows what the Presidency described as a growing and concerning trend of public officials accepting recognition from organisations of questionable credentials and opaque assessment criteria.
According to the communiqué, many of the organisations conferring such awards are largely unknown to the public, with no transparent, objective, or verifiable criteria for assessing the performance of public officials. The Presidency warned that the proliferation of such awards has the potential to undermine the integrity of the public service, create misconceptions about government performance assessment, and expose the government to unnecessary public criticism and embarrassment.
“Performance in office cannot be measured by privately organised ceremonies, self-appointed rating bodies, or commercial award schemes whose methodologies and standards are neither established nor subject to public scrutiny,” the communiqué stated.
The directive makes clear that the government’s standard for evaluating ministerial and executive performance lies elsewhere. Ministers and CEOs will be assessed on the extent to which they fulfil the policy objectives, programmes, and sector-specific targets outlined in the 2024 National Democratic Congress (NDC) Manifesto, the government’s broader development agenda, and performance indicators agreed upon with their respective supervising authorities.
“Tangible outcomes, measurable impact, effective service delivery, prudent management of public resources, and the successful implementation of government policies and programmes” are the benchmarks against which they will be judged, the statement reads.
The Presidency announced that it will, in due course, undertake a comprehensive review of the performance of all Ministers and Chief Executive Officers.
The communiqué states that the findings of this review “shall constitute a key basis for decisions relating to retention in office, reassignment of responsibilities, and any future Cabinet or executive restructuring.”
