Presidential Spokesperson and Minister of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has strongly rejected allegations by former President Akufo-Addo’s legal adviser, Kow Essuman, that the Mahama administration has presided over a ballooning presidential payroll despite reducing staff numbers at the Presidency.
Responding to Mr Essuman’s assertions regarding staffing levels and salary expenditures at the Office of the President, Hon. Kwakye Ofosu described the claims as false and misleading, insisting that the current administration inherited the salary structure and conditions of service approved under the previous government.
“It is flat lie that salaries of the staff under this Presidency has ballooned,” the Minister stated. The latest exchange marks a new chapter in the growing political debate over staffing figures, salary obligations and accountability within the Office of the President.
Government Defends Current Salary Structure
According to Kwakye Ofosu, the salaries and conditions of service currently being enjoyed by presidential staff were not introduced by the Mahama administration.
Rather, he argued that they were inherited from the previous government and remain in force under constitutional provisions governing Article 71 office holders. “The current staff at the Presidency inherited your salaries and conditions,” he stated.
“It is in fact a mathematical certainty that the total amount paid in salaries to the current staff will be smaller compared to yours once your arrears are paid because of the reduction in numbers”.
Presidential Spokesperson and Minister of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu
His comments directly challenge Essuman’s claim that expenditure on presidential staff has increased despite a purported reduction in staffing levels.
Arrears Issue Not Unprecedented
A significant aspect of the disagreement centres on unpaid salary arrears and benefits allegedly owed to former presidential staffers and political appointees who served under the Akufo Addo administration.
Kow Essuman had accused the Mahama government of selectively paying salary adjustments to current officials while withholding similar payments due to officials from the previous administration.
However, Kwakye Ofosu dismissed suggestions that the situation was unusual or politically motivated. According to him, delays in the payment of arrears to former Article 71 office holders have occurred under successive governments and should not be interpreted as evidence of discrimination.
“Arrears owed to past Article 71 office holders is nothing new or unheard of,” he noted. “Many others before you have suffered same.” The Minister’s remarks sought to frame the issue as an administrative matter rather than an act of political victimisation.
Constitutional Provisions Cited
Hon. Kwakye Ofosu also pointed to constitutional safeguards governing the remuneration of Article 71 office holders to support the government’s position.
He noted that Mr Essuman himself had acknowledged that the salaries and conditions currently under discussion were approved on January 6, 2025, after the outgoing administration submitted them to Parliament.
“The Constitution expressly forbids an alteration of those salaries and conditions approved by Parliament until the establishment of a committee to determine the salaries and emoluments of Article 71 office holders under the new government”.
Presidential Spokesperson and Minister of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu
He added that no such committee has yet been constituted by President John Dramani Mahama’s administration. “No such committee has been set up by President Mahama and no alteration has been made,” Hon. Kwakye Ofosu stated.
Claims of Ballooning Costs Challenged
The Minister questioned the basis upon which Essuman concluded that the presidential salary bill had increased under the current administration.
In his view, maintaining the same salary structure inherited from the previous government while operating with reduced staff numbers made allegations of ballooning expenditure mathematically impossible.
“So on what basis, apart from pure lies and mischief, can a claim of ballooning be made?” he asked. The sharp language employed by both sides reflects the increasingly contentious nature of political debates surrounding public expenditure and governance.
The latest developments come amid heightened public interest in the size, composition and cost of staffing at the Presidency. Questions surrounding presidential appointments and operational expenditures have frequently emerged in Ghana’s political discourse, particularly during transitions between administrations.
While Kow Essuman has called for greater transparency regarding staffing reports and expenditure under the current government, Hon. Kwakye Ofosu insists that official records demonstrate continuity in salary structures and a reduction in personnel numbers.
The exchange underscores broader debates about accountability, public sector compensation and adherence to constitutional processes governing state institutions.
