Felix Kwakye Ofosu is the Member of Parliament of Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese
The Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has dismissed and debunked claims from individuals associated with the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) regarding the budget allocations made to the Office of the President and the Office of Government Machinery.
Clearing the air and setting the records straight on the budgetary allocations, Kwakye Ofosu said that the funds are designated for the payment of civil servants working in some state media agencies, which have now been moved to the Office of the President for budgetary purposes.
He explained that these organisations have been brought under the jurisdiction of government communications following the reduction and merging of ministries from 30 to 23.
He added that the workers in some of these agencies need to be accounted for in the budgetary process.
“Because President Mahama reduced the number of ministries from 30 to 23, some agencies that used to operate under the collapsed ministries have been moved to the Office of the President for budgetary purposes.
“Because when the budget is being prepared, the staff of those agencies have to be accounted for. That accounting has to go through a mother agency,” the minister clarified.
Kwakye Ofosu provided specific examples to offer clearer and more visual clarification, aiming to resolve any remaining confusion.
“There was a Ministry of Information which was headed by a minister and had 76 directors and staff, civil servants. That ministry doesn’t exist anymore so all the directors and civil servants have left. Some of them have been reassigned. Now the president appointed me as his Spokesperson and Minister of States for Government Communication. That means all the agencies that used to work under the Ministry of Information have had to come under my jurisdiction.
“There are some of them who are state owned enterprises like the Ghana Publishing Company limited, Graphic Communication Group and New Times Corporation. They are state owned enterprise so now they fall under SIGA. But the Ghana News Agency and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, the Information Service Departments and what have you, fall under me. Now, the staff of these organisations are civil servants who have to be paid,” he added.
The Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese lawmaker further revealed that the GH¢2.7 billion allocated is intended solely to cover the payment of salaries for these civil servants, as well as for the agencies that make up the government machinery, and not for other purposes, as has been claimed.
“It is not that the Minister of Finance has allocated GH¢2.7 billion to squander. No, all the 30 agencies that operate under the Office of the President now have their salaries going through the process that is outlined in the budget. So, the GH¢2.7 billion is for them. It is not for president’s use,” he indicated.
The minister criticised Gideon Boako, MP for Tano North, accusing him of misinforming Ghanaians in an attempt to create disaffection for President Mahama.
“Gideon Boako is peddling falsehood in a desperate effort to provide excuses for the wanton waste that they superintended in this country. And that is why you, the people of Ghana, voted them out and gave the mandate to President Mahama. He is committed to using your resources judiciously so that you will find that it is possible to achieve a lot with fewer people,” he said.
His comments follows claims by Gideon Boako, the Member of Parliament for Tano North, that the government is spending largely despite having a lean government.
MAG/AE
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