Government has given financial clearance for persons recruited into the public sector just months before the 2024 General Elections to be paid.

The Minister of Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, disclosed this in an interview with JoyBusiness in Parliament.

“As far as the Labour and Finance Ministries are concerned, all these persons will be paid by the government even though they were not employed by us. They are Ghanaians.”

He noted that the government was “really concerned about this development, but we have concluded that they should be paid.”

Background

Government in December 2024, raised concerns about the last-minute appointments made in the public sector by the NPP administration.

The concern at the time was that the necessary financial clearance had not been sought from the incoming government.

According to a letter from the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, seen by JOYBUSINESS in February this year, all public sector appointments and recruitment made after December 7, 2024, were to be halted, citing non-compliance with good governance practices and principles.

Minimum Wage and Base Pay Review

On the Minimum Wage and Base Pay Review, the Minister justified the proposed 9 per cent increment effective January 2026, insisting it was based on government’s ability to pay and current developments in the economy.

The Minister noted that “47% of Ghana’s revenue is set aside as total compensation for public sector workers of about one million workers, and this is not sustainable going forward.”

He revealed that “if we had depended on the technical committee’s report, we may have done just 7 per cent.”

“However, when we looked at current developments, that was increased to 9 per cent.”

His comments come at a time when some public sector workers have complained about the margin of increase for the minimum wage.

“If we had gone ahead to increase minimum wage and base pay beyond 9 per cent, it could come with some difficulties when it comes to employing fresh hands in 2026,” the Minister said.

Hon. Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo expressed government’s commitment to adequately compensate public sector workers if the economy stabilises strongly.