President John Dramani Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has directed ministers, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of state institutions and other political appointees to stop participating in, endorsing, sponsoring or accepting awards from private organisations without prior approval from his Office, citing concerns over the growing proliferation of questionable award schemes.
The directive, contained in a circular signed by the Secretary to the President, Dr. Callistus Mahama, said the President had become increasingly concerned about the trend of public officials being named “best-performing”, “most outstanding” or “most influential” office holders by private organisations whose credentials and assessment processes are often unclear.
According to the Presidency, many of the award-giving bodies are largely unknown to the public and do not employ transparent, objective or verifiable criteria in evaluating public officials.
The circular warned that such practices have the potential to undermine the integrity of public service, create false impressions about government performance, and expose the administration to unnecessary criticism and public embarrassment.
“Public office is a solemn responsibility entrusted to officials by the people of Ghana. 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 statement said.
The directive comes amid growing debate over the credibility of some award schemes targeting public officials.
The Director-General of State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), Prof. Michael Kpessa-Whyte, yesterday disclosed that he had declined an invitation to receive a “Best CEO of the Year” award after discovering that attendance at the ceremony was tied to financial contributions.
Writing on the issue, Prof. Kpessa-Whyte revealed that an organisation calling itself the “Ghana Ministers of State Excellence Honours” had informed him that he had been selected for the award and invited him to a ceremony at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel.
However, he said he was unable to establish the criteria used for the assessment, the composition of the selection panel, the period covered by the award, or whether any independent verification of performance had been undertaken.
According to him, inquiries made by his office later revealed that recipients were expected either to purchase a sponsorship package costing GH¢50,000 or buy a table for eight at GH¢25,000 in order to participate in the event.
“In other words, the path to public recognition appeared to have been tied to financial contribution,” he stated, adding that he opted not to be part of the event.
Prof. Kpessa-Whyte argued that while recognition for public service was not inherently wrong, awards should be based on merit, evidence and transparent evaluation rather than financial capacity.
He cautioned that once payment becomes a condition for receiving recognition, the exercise risks losing its moral authority and begins to resemble a “pay-to-be-recognised arrangement.”
The Presidency’s latest directive follows the revelation by Prof. Kpessa-Whyte and many of those concerns expressed after the “Ghana Ministers of State Excellence Awards,” staged by a private firm, Big Events Ghana, which honoured some serving Ministers, CEOs and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) over the weekend.
The statement stressed that government officials should focus on service delivery and measurable outcomes rather than external recognition schemes of questionable credibility.
The circular further stated that the true measure of performance for ministers and chief executives would be their ability to deliver on government policies, programmes and sector-specific targets.
Officials, the Presidency said, would be assessed on tangible outcomes, measurable impact, prudent management of public resources, effective service delivery and the successful implementation of government initiatives.
The Presidency also announced plans to undertake a comprehensive review of the performance of ministers and CEOs.
The outcome of the review will serve as a key basis for decisions regarding retention in office, reassignment of responsibilities and any future cabinet or executive restructuring, the statement intimated.
The Presidency urged public officials to devote their full attention to executing their mandates and delivering results for Ghanaians rather than pursuing personal recognition.
By Ernest Kofi Adu