The Mahama administration has revoked 541 public sector recruitments, appointments, and promotions made in the dying days of the Akufo-Addo government, following a comprehensive review by a presidential committee set up to examine a controversial wave of hiring activity that took place after the December 7, 2024, general elections.

Presidential Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu announced the findings at a press briefing on Tuesday, presenting a detailed breakdown of what he described as a necessary exercise in due process — not a politically motivated purge.

When the NPP lost the December 2024 election, the outgoing Akufo-Addo administration was accused of rushing through a wave of public sector appointments during the lame-duck period between the election result and the January 7, 2025 inauguration — a practice critics say has become a recurring feature of Ghana's political transitions.

The Mahama government said it had written to the Akufo-Addo administration requesting a joint review of appointments being made during the transition period.

That request, it says, was flatly ignored.

Upon taking office, the Chief of Staff issued a sweeping directive ordering all institutions to revoke appointments made after December 7 — a blanket order that itself attracted criticism for potentially sweeping up legitimate, merit-based hires.

The presidential committee was set up specifically to resolve that tension — going institution by institution to separate compliant appointments from those that violated laid-down procedures.

Of the 36 institutions that appeared before the committee, 28 had commenced their recruitment processes before the December 7 elections.

Thirteen institutions revoked appointments on their own in response to the Chief of Staff's directive, while 17 others did not immediately comply but sought guidance from the Office of the President instead.

In total, the committee reviewed 2,080 recruitments, appointments, and promotions. Of that number, 879 had already been revoked by institutions themselves following the earlier directive.

The remaining 1,201 were left unrevoked pending the committee's recommendations.

After its review, the committee recommended that 1,539 of the 2,080 cases be upheld — these were appointments that complied with established procedures and where letters had been issued before December 7, 2024, meeting a compliance pass mark of 80 per cent or above.

The remaining 541 were recommended for revocation. Kwakye Ofosu said these cases failed on two counts: the recruitment processes concluded after December 7, and they did not meet the required compliance standards.

Notably, the 541 revocations recommended by the committee were actually fewer than the 879 appointments institutions had themselves cancelled following the Chief of Staff's initial directive.

The difference, Kwakye Ofosu explained, was deliberate — the result of special consideration extended 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.

Those individuals have been allowed to regularise their processes so they can remain within the public service and continue to earn an income.

Kwakye Ofosu was pointed in his criticism of the Akufo-Addo administration, accusing it of knowingly pushing through non-compliant appointments and dismissing the incoming government's appeals for consultation.

"The previous government was fully aware that basic requirements were not met in those cases and still went ahead to sanction them," he said, adding that the exercise was carried out "without malice or ill-feeling towards anyone" and was "a necessary step to uphold the rule of law and ensure accountability."