The Mahama administration has annulled 541 public sector recruitments, appointments and promotions made in the final days of the Akufo-Addo government, following a detailed review by a presidential committee tasked with examining the surge in hiring after the December 7, 2024 general elections.
At a press briefing on Tuesday, Presidential Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu presented the committee’s findings, describing the exercise as a matter of due process rather than a politically driven purge.
After the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections, the outgoing Akufo-Addo administration faced accusations of fast-tracking public sector appointments during the transition period leading up to the January 7, 2025 inauguration. Critics argued that such last-minute recruitments have become a recurring feature of Ghana’s political handovers.
The new government said it formally requested a joint review of appointments made during the transition, but claimed the appeal received no response.
Once in office, the Chief of Staff directed all state institutions to revoke appointments made after December 7. That blanket directive, however, drew criticism over concerns that legitimate and merit-based hires could be unfairly affected.
To address this, a presidential committee was constituted to assess each case individually and determine which appointments complied with established procedures. Of the 36 institutions that appeared before the committee, 28 had begun their recruitment processes before the elections. Thirteen institutions complied immediately with the earlier directive and revoked appointments, while 17 sought further clarification from the Presidency.
In all, the committee examined 2,080 recruitments, promotions and appointments. Of these, 879 had already been revoked by the institutions themselves. The remaining 1,201 cases were left pending review.
Following its assessment, the committee recommended that 1,539 appointments be maintained, noting that they met procedural requirements and that appointment letters had been issued before December 7, 2024, achieving a compliance rate of at least 80 per cent.
However, 541 cases were flagged for revocation. According to Kwakye Ofosu, these appointments were concluded after December 7 and failed to meet required standards.
Interestingly, the recommended 541 revocations are fewer than the 879 appointments earlier cancelled by institutions. Kwakye Ofosu said this reflected deliberate leniency shown to vulnerable groups, particularly persons with disabilities recruited into the Ghana Education Service.
He explained that although some of those appointments did not strictly comply with laid-down procedures, special consideration was granted due to the potential hardship revocation would cause. Those affected have been given the opportunity to regularise their documentation to remain in public service.
Kwakye Ofosu criticised the Akufo-Addo administration, alleging it proceeded with non-compliant appointments despite being aware that certain requirements had not been satisfied and disregarded calls for consultation during the transition.
He maintained that the review process was conducted without malice and described it as a necessary step to uphold accountability and reinforce adherence to the rule of law.
