Co-Chair of the Citizen Movement Against Corruption has charged President Akufo-Addo to identify the government officials effectively executing their duties and ensure that they are protected.

As the NPP administration kick-starts its second term, Edem Senanu argues that some actions taken against certain officials in the government machinery did not augur well for the country.

On June 29, President Akufo-Addo ordered the Auditor General, Daniel Domelevo to take his accumulated leave.

The vociferous Auditor-General was to take an initial 123-day leave to start from July 1 but was later asked to take 167 days to include his 2020 leave days after Mr Domelevo’s letter urging the President to reconsider his directive.

Among other things, the Auditor-General had claimed that the directive was a breach of the labor law and was unconstitutional.

Describing some of these key personalities as ‘strikers,’ Mr Senanu urged the President to safeguard their place in the governance structure if the policies and programmes set out for the four-year term are to see the light of day.

Making a soccer reference he explained that, "any coach who is watching the game and you're not scoring the goals, you do whatever it takes to get the strikers or else you'll pay the price."

"The President needs to clearly identify what I call the strikers, those with the track record of execution. Even if they're outside his party. Even if they are outside his family and friends circle. Because that's what seems to be happening. We have a lot more people being appointed who are within that small circle," Mr Senanu said.

Edem Senanu further explained that President Akufo-Addo must look beyond family relations in the upcoming appointments as part of plans to reduce graft and promote good governance.

He told JoyNews that if the President is bent on leaving a legacy, efforts will have to be made to take concrete action against officials who have exhibited ineffectiveness regardless of the personal affiliation to him because "many of them are disappointing him."

"[Either] many of them are disappointing him or else he knows that they are disappointing him but he's still keeping them there. Loyalty should not be the value that is put above hard work, integrity and competence," he added.

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has charged some former ministers to maintain their respective positions pending the appointment and subsequent approval of new ministers for his second term in office.

These former ministers include Ken Ofori Atta, who was the Minister for Finance, Alan Kyerematen who was the Minister for Trade, the Minister for Local Government Hajia Alima Mahama, and former Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.