The 2026 Ministers of State Excellence Awards has generated considerable controversy over whether the awardees actually deserved the honours, whether the awards were paid for (the organizers strongly deny this), and why public officials always seem eager to collect awards.

The awards scheme itself raises some interesting questions.

It was launched in 2021, with the current Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, among the early recipients. Yet by 2023, just two years later, the organizers were already holding what they called the 5th edition of the awards. Three years later came the 6th edition.

The awards appear to have multiplied faster than the years available to host them.

The uproar has been significant enough for the Presidency to ban government appointees from participating in private awards schemes without prior approval.

The Presidency has also disclosed that government appointees will soon undergo performance reviews, although no timelines have been provided.

Perhaps the more interesting takeaway is that citizens increasingly appear willing to question things that might have passed quietly a few years ago.

Awards, it seems, are no longer immune from public scrutiny.

Infographics below.