The Centre for Environmental Management and Sustainable Energy (CEMSE) has called on the government to provide full transparency and accountability following its decision to cancel fuel allowances for political appointees.
The leading environmental advocacy group has urged the government to clearly define who qualifies as a political appointee under the new policy and to disclose the expected financial savings resulting from the move.
CEMSE’s Executive Director, Benjamin Nsiah, said the decision has left many questions unanswered and stressed that the public has a right to understand both the rationale behind the directive and its projected economic impact.
“There must be a clear breakdown of who falls within the scope of this policy, and how much the country stands to save as a result,” Mr Nsiah said.
The scrapping of fuel allowances for political appointees was announced as part of wider cost-cutting measures, but the government has yet to publish detailed implementation guidelines or fiscal projections.
CEMSE has long advocated for sustainable energy use and public sector efficiency, and says it welcomes policies that reduce environmental and financial waste—provided they are implemented transparently.
In a related development, a private legal practitioner, Prof Kwaku Asare has told the government to quantify the expected savings from the cancellation of the fuel allowance to government appointees.
President John Dramani Mahama has, effective immediately, directed the cancellation of payment of fuel allowances and allocation of fuel to all political appointees.
The directive forms part of a broader curb in government expenditure aimed at cutting costs and channeling public funds into priority areas, a statement issued by the Minister of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, on Tuesday, July 15, said.
The statement said that the President believes that leadership must also bear its part of the sacrifices it is calling on the people to make.
“The latest cost-cutting measure follows sweeping reductions in the size of government through the appointment of fewer Ministers and Presidential Office staff.
“Other measures have included stopping satellite TV subscriptions for offices at the Presidency and other government facilities,” the statement, which was shared by the Minister’s Facebook page, said.
Commenting on this development under the post of the Minister, Prof Kwakye Asare urged the government to quantify the expected savings from the cancellation.”
“This is very important. Quantify the expected savings from the cancellation,” he wrote.
