The Office of the President has directed all Ministers of State, Chief Executive Officers of State Institutions, and other political appointees to stop participating in private award schemes unless they have express authorization from the Presidency.
In a directive dated 8th June 2026 and signed by Secretary to the President Callistus Mahama, PhD, the President expressed concern over the “increasing trend of public officials accepting awards from various private organisations purporting to recognise them as the ‘best-performing’, ‘most outstanding’, or ‘most influential’ public office holders.”
The Presidency said many of 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 misperceptions regarding government performance assessment, and expose the Government to unnecessary public criticism and embarrassment,” the directive.
His Excellency has therefore directed that all Ministers, CEOs of state institutions, and political appointees must refrain from participating in, sponsoring, endorsing, attending, or accepting awards from such organisations unless expressly authorised by the Office of the President.
The Presidency stressed that the true measure of performance for Ministers and CEOs is the extent to which they fulfill policy objectives in the 2024 NDC Manifesto, the government’s development agenda, and performance indicators agreed with supervising authorities.
“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,” the letter noted.
His Excellency also stated that the Presidency will undertake a comprehensive review of the performance of Ministers and Chief Executive Officers. The findings will form the basis for decisions on retention in office, reassignment of responsibilities, and any future Cabinet or executive restructuring.
Public officials were urged to devote their full attention to executing their mandates and delivering results for Ghanaians rather than seeking external recognition schemes of “questionable credibility”.
All Ministers of State, All CEOs of State-Owned Enterprises. Cc: Vice President, Chief of Staff.
