- Gyampo observed that Ministers often hire advisors and consultants at higher wages
- Gyampo called for sustained education and sensitization
- He also called for an evaluation of the Fourth Republic's governance
Professor Ransford Gyampo, an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Ghana, has expressed concern about the growing trend of Ministers hiring personal advisors and consultants, which he believes is creating a “parallel” civil service.
Delivering the 7th Nathan Annang Quao Excellence Lecture in Accra, he argued that this development undermines the integrity and effectiveness of the established civil service, leading to issues with accountability and transparency.
The lecture, themed “The Weberian ideal of political neutrality among civil servants: a review of the situation in Ghana,” honored Nathan Annang Quao, a renowned Civil Servant who served under five successive governments.
Professor Gyampo observed that Ministers often hire advisors and consultants at higher wages than civil servants, which can demotivate and lead to inefficiency among public employees. “This knowledge of how partisan our civil bureaucracy has become has led to disingenuous attempts by some politicians to create a parallel civil service of their own to rival the existing civil service,” he said. “They do this by recruiting consultants and advisors who are heavily paid to do the work expected to be done by the civil service. So, people would continue to loiter around at the workplace without doing much.”
To address these concerns, Professor Gyampo called for sustained education and sensitization on the importance of political neutrality among civil servants.
He also advocated for punitive consequences for public employees who indulge in partisan politics.
He warned that the politicization of the Civil Service is eroding public confidence and urged the service to question the appointment and recruitment of civil servants based solely on partisan grounds.
Mr Isaac Bampoe-Addo, Executive Secretary of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG), echoed Professor Gyampo’s concerns and emphasized the need for state institutions to regulate mining activities to curtail illegalities in the sector.
He also called for an evaluation of the Fourth Republic’s governance to assess whether it is effectively contributing to development.
CLOGSAG awarded several public servants who had distinguished themselves in their roles.
Mr Ralphael K. Tuffuor, a former Controller and Accountant General, received the ultimate award.
Other recipients included Mr Jones Agyeman, Mr Ernest Deladem Kwakuyi, Madam Ruby Yaa Korantiwaa Akae, and Madam Caroline Ansoah Kuuzegh.
