Amorphous presidential staffers' salaries shot up to GH¢823.8m from GH¢136.2m — Ablakwa

The salaries he said increased by 508.4%.

His comments come at the back of the 2021 report on the staffing position at Ghana's Office of the President which reveals that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo hasn't abandoned his appetite for big government as overall staffing jumps to 995 from 934 in 2020, he [Nana Addo] has 4 Directors of Comms, Church Relations Manager and more.

The annual report on Presidential Office Staff to Parliament is in line with the Presidential Office Act, 1993 (Act 463) which was laid in the House on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.

The NDC MP scrutinizing the report observed that the President has created a new office called Church Relations Manager and Diaspora Church Mobilisation Officer which he described as amorphous positions created at the presidency.

Nana Addo with ministers Pulse Ghana

The Church Relations Manager is under the headship of one Rev. Ebenezer Saaka Ameyaw and the 'Diaspora Church Mobilization' is headed by Fr. Nana K. Ellis.

In a Facebook post, Ablakwa said "It is significant to observe from the 2021 Budget Statement — the year most of these amorphous positions were created at the Office of Government Machinery that their Wages and Salaries shot up astronomically to GHS823.8 million from just GHS136.2 million in 2020 (an increment by a staggering 508.4%)."

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa Pulse Ghana

According to him, the entire Parliamentary Service (including non-parliamentarians) — GH¢201.1 million was budgeted in 2021 from GHS140.4 million in 2020 (representing an increase of 43.2%).

"Placed in perspective, the Office of Government Machinery’s salary increase by an additional GH¢687.6 million in one year (508.4%) is more than the GH¢672 million needed to pay NABCo workers for an entire year (see page 241 of 2021 Budget).

"Sadly, NABCo workers remain unpaid for 7 months," Ablakwa said.

In 2018, Nana Addo forwarded a list of 998 staffers and ministers of state at the Presidency to Parliament. That list was for the period January 7, 2017, to December 31, 2017.

The figure dropped from 998 to 957 in the 2018 list presented to Parliament in 2019.