Mahama staff bloats with Anyidoho, Batidam

The office of the president continues to employ more hands, despite the poor health of the economy. The staff strength had been raised from 678 in 2013 to 699 in 2014.

Among the staffers are Koku Anyidoho, National Democratic Congress (NDC) deputy general secretary at the National Security Secretariat and Daniel Batidam, Presidential Advisor on Corruption.

This increase is coming at a time when the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is calling for ‘staff rationalisation’ in the public sector.

The report was released to Parliament in fulfilment of Section 11 of the Presidential Act 1993, which requires the president to annually submit a report on the staffing position of his office for Parliament’s perusal.

The report covered the number of presidential staff employed during the period, the ranks and grades of these staff and employees of other public services assigned to the office of the president.

The document, personally signed by President John Mahama, has five Ministers of State working at the presidency, 26 presidential staffers and 668 public and civil servants.

Public and Civil Servants

Employees of the Public Sector Organisations assigned to the office include civil servants of various classes – administrative, executive/clerical, records, secretarial, budget, supply and materials management.

Others are household, Department of Parks and Gardens, Ghana Health Service, accounting and data processing and Audit Service.

The household department for instance has 43 caterers, 36 stewards, 54 drivers, 14 night watchmen, two caretakers, 22 sanitary labourers, three other labourers and 85 cleaners.

The total number of public and civil service categories of staff was 668.

Presidential Staffers

The presidential staffers were Prosper D.K. Bani, the immediate past Chief of Staff, who was said to have been promised a National Security Advisor appointment only to be announced as Ambassador Plenipotentiary, but yet to be assigned to any country; Dr Raymond A. Atuguba, a former Executive Secretary to the President – now gone back to the University of Ghana, Law Faculty to lecture; Roger Angsomwine, formerly Cabinet Secretary and now acting Secretary to the President; Dr Cadman Dufu Atta Mills, nominated as Ambassador-designate to the United States, but was allegedly rejected by the US government and Alhaji Issifu Baba Braimah Kamara, a confidant of the President and member of the shadowy group, ‘Gonja Mafia.’

Baba Kamara, a former High Commissioner to Nigeria, who abandoned his post immediately President John Evans Atta Mills died and never returned to Nigeria under very suspicious circumstance, is said to have snatched the plum National Security Adviser job from Prosper Bani.

Others were William Kwasi Aboah, a former National Security Advisor; Brig Gen Joseph Nunoo Mensah, Human Security at the National Security Secretariat; Dr Nii Moi Thompson, now at the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC); Dr Valerie E. Sawyerr, a former deputy Chief of Staff; Commodore Steve G. Obimpeh (Rtd); Kwesi S. Baffoe- Bonnie of Radio Gold fame; Ms Emelia Arthur of Goosie Tanoh’s National Reform Party; Dr Michael Kpessa Whyte, now with National Service; Dr Clement Abass Apaak, Presidential Task Force on Tax; James Agyenim Boateng of Radio Gold fame; Kwaku Tsen Mensah, formerly of Daily Graphic; Kwabena Owusu Akyempong, Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA); Kale Cezario; Stanislav Xoese Dogbe and Vincent Senam Kuagbenu, in-charge of numbering government vehicles.

The rest were Sandow Seidu Kpebu, office of the First Lady; Kofi Ofori; Ben Dotsei Malor, Senior Communication Advisor;

Alhaji Babanlamie Abu Sadat, Special Assistant in-charge of Zongo Affairs, with Daniel Batidam and Koku Anyidoho rounding up the list.

Ministers of State

Names of the Ministers of State at the presidency as at December 31, 2014 were Maj. Dr Mustapha Ahmed, Abdul Rashid Pelpuo, Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe-Ghansah, Alhassan Azong and Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah, for Special Duties.