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The Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG), has challenged the legality of terminating or transferring heads of public institutions when a new President assumes office.
The Association said its review of the Presidential Transition Act 2012 (Act 845) found no provision authorising the President to terminate or transfer public officers, including Chief Executive Officers and Chief Directors. Speaking at CLOGSAG’s 2025 May Day Thanksgiving Service in Accra, Mr. Isaac Bampoe Addo, Executive Secretary, called for dialogue on the matter.
He urged the Minister of Employment to “immediately convene a national tripartite committee to discuss this present national issue.” “We have examined and analysed the acts, but we are yet to identify any provision authorising the President to terminate, post, appoint, promote, and transfer any chief executive officer, chief directors, heads of departments, and any employee of public institutions and public professions,” he said.
Mr. Addo described political interference in the public and civil service as a major challenge and assured that CLOGSAG would strongly resist infiltration by political actors. He noted that political appointments in public service undermined efficiency, as appointees often lacked the necessary skills for national development. “A public officer shall not put himself in a position where his personal interests conflict or attempt to conflict with the performance of the functions of his office,” Mr. Addo stated.
“The neutrality of the public officer is key in fostering the principle of anonymity, neutrality, permanence in the public domain,” he added. Recently, CLOGSAG members protested the appointment of the new Registrar of the Births and Deaths Registry. The Association argued that the appointment of Mr. Samuel Adom Botchway as Registrar violated a 2017 Supreme Court ruling, which barred political interference in the administration of the Civil and Local Government Service.
The Government rejected CLOGSAG’s stance, stating that the President’s appointment did not violate any law. In 2022, CLOGSAG also opposed the appointment of Mrs. Henrietta Lamptey as Registrar of the Births and Deaths Registry, arguing that the process deviated from normal practice.
The Association later filed a High Court suit challenging the appointment. Among its reliefs, CLOGSAG sought a declaration that “the Births and Deaths Registry is a Civil Service Institution,” and that the Head of Civil Service “must have an input in the appointment of the Registrar of the Births and Deaths as provided by law.” The Court is yet to rule on the case.
Source: GNA
