President John Dramani Mahama has directed all Ministers of State, Chief Executive Officers of State Institutions and other political appointees to refrain from accepting awards from private organizations unless they receive prior approval from the Office of the President.
The directive, forms part of efforts by the Presidency to safeguard the integrity of public service and discourage what it describes as the growing trend of public officials seeking recognition from organizations with questionable credibility.
According to the President, many of the award schemes currently targeting public officials are organized by entities whose credentials assessment standards and selection processes are often unclear.
“In many instances, the organizations 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,” the directive stated.
The Presidency expressed concern that the proliferation of such awards could expose government officials and institutions to public criticism while undermining confidence in public administration.
The directive specifically cautions appointees against participating in, sponsoring, endorsing, attending or accepting awards from privately organised ceremonies and commercial recognition schemes without express authorisation from the Presidency.
President Mahama described some of the organizers as “self-appointed rating bodies” whose methodologies and standards are neither established nor subjected to public scrutiny.
Below is the statement from the Presidency…
Source:tolonradio.com
