The Presidency has directed all Ministers of State, Chief Executive Officers of state institutions, and other political appointees to stop participating in or accepting awards from private organisations unless they receive prior approval from the Office of the President.
The directive, issued by the Secretary to the President, Callistus Mahama, follows concerns raised by President John Dramani Mahama over what has been described as a growing trend of unverified private bodies conferring awards on public officials.
According to the Presidency, many of the organisations involved lack clear credentials, transparent evaluation systems, and publicly verifiable standards for assessing performance.
It warned that such practices risk undermining the credibility of public service and creating misleading perceptions about government performance.
Officials have therefore been instructed to refrain from attending, endorsing, sponsoring, or accepting such awards unless expressly authorised by the Presidency.
The statement emphasised that public office performance will instead be assessed based on measurable outcomes, service delivery, prudent resource management, and implementation of government policies.
It also indicated that a comprehensive performance review of ministers and chief executives will be conducted, with results influencing decisions on retention, reassignment, and restructuring.
The directive comes shortly after several government officials were honoured at the 6th Ghana Ministers of State Excellence Awards held in Accra, an event attended by political leaders, traditional authorities, and stakeholders.
