Mahama Cancels Last-Minute Hires Under Akufo-Addo Gov’t

President John Dramani Mahama’s administration has nullified 541 public sector recruitments, appointments, and promotions made during the final days of the Nana Akufo-Addo government after reviewing hiring decisions taken after the December 7, 2024, general elections.

Presidential Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu announced the decision at a press briefing during the Government Accountability Series on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. He said a special committee conducted the review to ensure due process and stressed that the exercise was not a political witch-hunt but a step to protect accountability and good governance in the public service.

The Special Committee, set up by Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, examined appointments made during the transition period following the 2024 general elections amid concerns that the outgoing administration had rushed through recruitments without following proper civil service procedures.

Later, Kwakye Ofosu shared the committee’s findings on his Facebook page, writing:

“The Committee set up by the Chief of Staff to look into the revocation of the recruitment, appointments, and promotions of persons into the Public Service after the 7th December elections made the following findings and recommendations.

A total of 2,080 people had their recruitment, appointments and promotions revoked per the directive from the Chief of Staff. 1,201 appointments were upheld because they were found to comply with due process. 541 appointments were revoked for failure to comply with due process. 338 appointments of persons with disability were upheld”.

The controversy began after the New Patriotic Party (NPP) lost the December 2024 elections. Critics accused the Akufo-Addo administration of pushing through a large number of public sector appointments during the lame-duck period between the election results and the January 7, 2025 inauguration, a practice many observers say has become common during political transitions in Ghana.

The Mahama government said it wrote to the outgoing administration requesting a joint review of appointments made during the transition, but the request was ignored.

Upon taking office, the Chief of Staff directed all public institutions to revoke appointments made after December 7, 2024. The sweeping order drew criticism from those who feared it could affect legitimate, merit-based recruitments.

To resolve the matter, the committee reviewed cases institution by institution to separate compliant appointments from those that breached laid-down procedures.

Out of 36 institutions that appeared before it, 28 had begun their recruitment processes before the December 7 elections. Thirteen institutions revoked appointments on their own following the directive, while 17 sought guidance from the Office of the President.

Of the 2,080 cases examined, 879 had already been revoked by institutions before the committee concluded its work, leaving 1,201 pending its recommendations.

After completing its review, the committee recommended that 1,539 cases be upheld. These involved appointments where letters had been issued before December 7, 2024, and where the recruitment process achieved at least 80 per cent compliance with established rules. The remaining 541 cases were recommended for revocation because the processes were concluded after December 7 and did not meet compliance standards.

Notably, the 541 recommended revocations were fewer than the 879 earlier cancelled by institutions. Kwakye Ofosu explained that this difference was deliberate, as special consideration was given to vulnerable groups, particularly persons with disabilities within the Ghana Education Service.

“There were some of our compatriots who suffered some disability. But we found that their recruitment should be revoked because it did not comply with the laid-down process. But because of their peculiar situation and the hardship that could be imposed upon them if we were to enforce this directive, they were given some clemency,” he said.

He added that those individuals have been allowed to regularise their processes so they can remain in the public service and continue to earn an income.

Kwakye Ofosu also criticised the Akufo-Addo administration. “The previous government was fully aware that basic requirements were not met in those cases and still went ahead to sanction them,” he said.

He added that the review was conducted “without malice or ill-feeling towards anyone” and described it as “a necessary step to uphold the rule of law and ensure accountability.”