Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo, has voiced concerns about the emergence of a “parallel” civil service as a result of ministers increasingly engaging consultants and personal advisors.
Speaking on Tuesday at the 7th Nathan Annang Quao Excellence Lecture in Accra, he claimed that the development compromised the credibility and efficiency of the long-standing civil service, creating problems with transparency and accountability.
The lecture was held in honor of Nathan Annang Quao, a renowned civil servant who served in five different administrations, with the focus being “The Weberian ideal of political neutrality among civil servants: a review of the situation in Ghana.”
Professor Gyampo noted that public employees became demotivated and ineffective as a result of ministers paying advisers and consultants more than they did civil servants.
“It is knowledge of how partisan our civil bureaucracy has become that has led to disingenuous attempts by some politicians to strive to create a parallel civil service of their own to rival the existing civil service.
“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,” he said.
Prof. Gyampo demanded that civil personnel have ongoing training and awareness-raising about the need of maintaining political neutrality. He also added that public servants who engaged in partisan politics ought to be disciplined.
He urged the service to challenge the hiring and appointment of civil officials solely for political reasons, claiming that the politicization of the civil service was undermining public trust in the organization.
“Let us push for Chief Directors to be made to rise through the ranks to attain such positions without political hands playing any role,” Prof. Gyampo said.
The Executive Secretary of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG), Mr. Isaac Bampoe-Addo, stated that state institutions should control mining operations in order to reduce illegalities in the industry. These institutions would be managed through decentralized local government structures.
“It is time for us to evaluate the democracy that has characterised governance under the Fourth Republic to ascertain whether this type of governance is helping us to develop,” he said.
A few public employees who had excelled in the performance of their tasks and helped to foster professional service were recognized by the CLOGSAG.
The winner of the top prize was Mr. Ralphael K. Tuffuor, a former Controller and Accountant General.
Additional recipients included Madam Ruby Yaa Korantiwaa Akae, Staff, Civil Service Council; Mr. Jones Agyeman, Development Planning Officer, Obuasi East – Tutuka; Mr. Ernest Deladem Kwakuyi, Director, Ministry of Energy; and Madam Caroline Ansoah Kuuzegh, Planning Officer, Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations.
Source: newsthemegh.com