The Mahama administration has annulled 541 public sector recruitments, appointments, and promotions carried out in the final days of the Akufo-Addo government, following a thorough review by a presidential committee established to examine a disputed surge of hiring after the December 7, 2024 elections.
Presidential Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu disclosed the outcome at a press briefing on Tuesday, presenting what he described as a due process exercise rather than a politically driven purge.
After the NPP’s defeat in December 2024, the outgoing Akufo-Addo administration faced accusations of rushing through a wave of public sector placements during the transition period between the election and the January 7, 2025 swearing-in — a practice critics argue has become a recurring feature of Ghana’s political handovers.
The Mahama government said it had formally requested a joint review of appointments made during the transition, but claimed that request was ignored.
Once in office, the Chief of Staff issued a blanket directive ordering institutions to cancel all appointments made after December 7 — a move that drew criticism for potentially sweeping up legitimate hires.
The presidential committee was created to resolve that tension, reviewing each institution to distinguish compliant appointments from those that breached established procedures.
Out of 36 institutions examined, 28 had begun their recruitment processes before the December 7 polls. Thirteen institutions revoked appointments themselves in response to the directive, while 17 others sought clarification from the Presidency.
In total, the committee assessed 2,080 appointments, promotions, and recruitments. Of these, 879 had already been revoked by institutions following the earlier directive, leaving 1,201 pending review.
The committee ultimately recommended that 1,539 of the 2,080 cases be upheld — these were appointments that met procedural requirements and had letters issued before December 7, 2024, achieving a compliance score of 80 percent or higher.
The remaining 541 were recommended for cancellation, with Kwakye Ofosu explaining that they failed on two grounds: being finalized after December 7 and not meeting compliance standards.
Interestingly, the 541 revocations recommended were fewer than the 879 cancellations already carried out by institutions under the Chief of Staff’s directive. Kwakye Ofosu said this difference reflected special consideration for vulnerable groups, particularly persons with disabilities within the Ghana Education Service.
“There were some of our compatriots who suffered some disability. But we found that their recruitment should be revoked because it did not comply with the laid-down process. But because of their peculiar situation and the hardship that could be imposed upon them if we were to enforce this directive, they were given some clemency,” he explained.
Those individuals have been allowed to regularise their processes so they can remain in public service and continue earning an income.
Kwakye Ofosu was critical of the Akufo-Addo administration, accusing it of knowingly approving non-compliant appointments and ignoring appeals for consultation.
“The previous government was fully aware that basic requirements were not met in those cases and still went ahead to sanction them,” he said, adding that the exercise was conducted “without malice or ill-feeling towards anyone” and was “a necessary step to uphold the rule of law and ensure accountability.”
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