President Orders Ministers, Appointees To Stop Accepting ‘Best-Performing’ Awards
The Ghanaian Presidency has barred Ministers of State, Chief Executive Officers of state institutions, and all political appointees from participating in or accepting “best-performing” awards from private organisations with opaque and unverifiable metrics.
The directive was contained in an official memo from the Office of the President, Jubilee House, Accra, dated June 8.
According to the presidency, the proliferation of privately organised award schemes targeting public office holders has the potential to compromise the integrity of the public service and create false impressions regarding government performance.
The statement noted that the President had observed with concern an increasing trend of public officials accepting various accolades that purport to recognize them as “most outstanding” or “most influential” in their respective duties.
Titled: “PARTICIPATION IN PRIVATE AWARD SCHEMES AND RELATED EVENTS,” the statement partly read: “His Excellency the President has noted with concern the increasing trend of Ministers of State, Chief Executive Officers of State Institutions, and other public officials participating in and accepting awards from various private organisations purporting to recognise them as the “best-performing”, “most outstanding”, or “most influential” public office holders.
“In many instances, the organisations conferring such awards are largely unknown to the public, their credentials are unclear, and no transparent, objective, or verifiable criteria exist for assessing the performance of public officials. Consequently, the proliferation of such awards has the potential to undermine the integrity of public service, create misconceptions regarding government performance assessment, and expose the Government to unnecessary public criticism and embarrassment.
“Public office is a solemn responsibility entrusted to officials by the people of Ghana. Performance in the 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.
“His Excellency, therefore, directs that all Ministers of State, Chief Executive Officers of State Institutions, and other political appointees refrain from participating in, sponsoring, endorsing, attending, or accepting awards from such organisations unless expressly authorised by the Office of the President.”
It added, “Government remains focused on delivering on its commitments to the people of Ghana. The true measure of the performance of Ministers and Chief Executive Officers is the extent to which they fulfil the policy objectives, programmes, and sector-specific targets outlined in the 2024 National Democratic Congress Manifesto, the Government’s development agenda, and the performance indicators agreed upon with their respective supervising authorities.”
The presidency stressed that ministers and state heads would continue to be evaluated strictly based on tangible outcomes, prudent resource management, and the successful execution of official government policies.
“Accordingly, Ministers and Chief Executive Officers are reminded that their performance will be assessed based on tangible outcomes, measurable impact, effective service delivery, prudent management of public resources, and the successful implementation of government policies and programmes.”
