The Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG) has strongly opposed a proposal by the Constitution Review Committee to separate the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) from the Ministry of Finance and make it an independent constitutional body.
According to the Association, the CAGD plays a key implementing role within the Ministry and must remain under its administrative supervision to ensure effective coordination in the management of public finances.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, CLOGSAG’s Executive Secretary, Isaac Bampoe Addo, explained that the Department executes government accounting functions, manages treasury operations and oversees payment controls on behalf of the Finance Ministry.
“As part of the executive machinery responsible for implementing fiscal policy, the CAGD should remain administratively situated within the Ministry of Finance rather than be structurally separated into an independent constitutional body,” he stated.
The Secretary of CLOGSAG’s internal review committee, Daniel Appiah, also questioned the justification for the proposed change, noting that the review committee had not provided compelling reasons to support the recommendation.
He warned that granting the Department independent status could introduce additional bureaucracy, potentially weakening coordination in public financial management.
“Once you make it independent, you introduce another layer of bureaucracy,” Dr Appiah said, adding that such a move could delay critical processes such as salary payments and other government financial transactions.
Instead of restructuring the Department, CLOGSAG proposed the establishment of an Independent Fiscal Responsibility Council that would be entrenched in the Constitution to oversee government spending and strengthen fiscal discipline.
The Association argued that creating such a body through an Act of Parliament alone would make it vulnerable to suspension, citing the temporary suspension of the Fiscal Responsibility Act during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“If it is entrenched in the Constitution, it will not be easy for any government to suspend it at will,” Dr Appiah noted.
CLOGSAG also raised concerns about other recommendations from the Constitution Review Committee affecting the public service. It objected to proposals that would give the Council of State powers to recruit, vet or make binding nominations for appointments to constitutional bodies and senior public service positions, including the Head of the Civil Service and the Controller and Accountant General.
The Association insisted that such responsibilities should remain with the governing councils of the respective services in consultation with the Public Services Commission to protect merit-based recruitment and maintain institutional stability.
Additionally, CLOGSAG recommended an amendment to Article 197 of the Constitution to replace the word “may” with “shall,” arguing that this would compel the Public Services Commission to issue binding regulations governing the public services.
The Association further criticised proposals to tie the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives to economic viability or population thresholds, warning that such criteria could undermine equal democratic participation.
While acknowledging the extensive work done by the Constitution Review Committee, CLOGSAG urged authorities to reconsider proposals that could weaken institutional coordination or create administrative fragmentation within the public service.
