President John Dramani Mahama has placed a ban on all Ministers of State, Chief Executive Officers of State Institutions, and other political appointees from receiving private awards, unless expressly authorised by the Office of the President.
He further directed them to refrain from participating in, sponsoring, endorsing, or attending awards organised by these organisations.
Mr. Mahama’s directive was contained in a statement dated June 8, 2026, and signed by the Secretary to the President, Callistus Mahama, following an increasing trend of public officials attending and accepting such awards.
These awards, the President argued, are largely unknown to the public and lack transparent, objective, and verifiable criteria for assessing the performance of public officials.
He warned that the proliferation of such awards could undermine the integrity of public service, create misconceptions about government performance assessment, and expose government to unnecessary criticism and embarrassment.
“His Excellency the President has noted with concern the increasing trend of Ministers of State, Chief Executive Officers of State Institutions, and other public officials participating in and accepting awards from various private organisations purporting to recognise them as the ‘best-performing’, ‘most outstanding’, or ‘most influential’ public office holders.
“In many instances, 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.
“His Excellency, therefore, directs that all Ministers of State, Chief Executive Officers of State Institutions, and other political appointees refrain from participating in, sponsoring, endorsing, attending, or accepting awards from such organisations unless expressly authorised by the Office of the President,” Parts of the statement declared, emphasising the Presidency’s directives.
The statement further observed that public office is a responsibility entrusted to officials by the people of Ghana and that performance should not be measured through privately organised ceremonies, self-appointed rating bodies, or commercial award schemes.
Accordingly, the statement reminded these appointees that their assessment will be judged based on “tangible outcomes, measurable impact, effective service delivery, prudent management of public resources, and the successful implementation of government policies and programmes.”
They are therefore encouraged to devote their full attention to the execution of their core mandates and the delivery of results for the good people of Ghana rather than seeking external recognition schemes of questionable credibility.
The Presidency indicated that the government remains focused on delivering on its commitments to Ghanaians.
