Presidential staffers will not exceed 300 – Felix Kwakye Ofosu

Minister of State for Government Communication, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has reaffirmed the commitment of President John Dramani Mahama’s administration to maintaining a lean government, ensuring that presidential staff appointments remain well below the 336 staffers recorded under former President Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration.

Speaking on The Point of View on Channel One TV, Kwakye Ofosu disclosed that the current number of political appointees at the presidency does not exceed 50, a stark contrast to the previous administration’s figures.

"There were 333 or 336 political appointees at the presidency under Akufo-Addo. As I speak with you, there are not more than 50 at the presidency," he stated.

He further assured that the government would not exceed a set limit, emphasising its commitment to efficiency and fiscal prudence.

"It will not go beyond a certain limit. It will go nowhere near the 336 we had under [former] President Akufo-Addo. There too, there’s going to be some serious cutting of numbers in order to ensure that we don’t go beyond reasonable limits," he added.

Addressing concerns regarding ministerial appointments, Kwakye Ofosu defended President Mahama’s decision to cap ministerial positions at 60, challenging the rationale behind the previous administration’s appointment of over 100 ministers.

He dismissed calls for the President to reconsider his stance, insisting that the decision was final and aligned with the administration’s broader strategy of reducing government expenditure and improving efficiency.