President John Dramani Mahama has directed all Ministers of State, Chief Executive Officers of State Institutions and other political appointees to refrain from accepting awards from private organisations unless they receive prior approval from the Office of the President.

The directive, issued on Monday, June 8, forms part of efforts by the Presidency to safeguard the integrity of public service and discourage what it describes as the growing trend of public officials seeking recognition from organisations with questionable credibility.

According to the President, many of the award schemes currently targeting public officials are organised by entities whose credentials, assessment standards and selection processes are often unclear.

"In many instances, the organisations conferring such awards are largely unknown to the public, their credentials are unclear, and no transparent, objective, or verifiable criteria exist for assessing the performance of public officials," the directive stated.

The Presidency expressed concern that the proliferation of such awards could expose government officials and institutions to public criticism while undermining confidence in public administration.

The directive specifically cautions appointees against participating in, sponsoring, endorsing, attending or accepting awards from privately organised ceremonies and commercial recognition schemes without express authorisation from the Presidency.

President Mahama described some of the organisers as "self-appointed rating bodies" whose methodologies and standards are neither established nor subjected to public scrutiny.

He reminded public officials that public office is a responsibility entrusted to them by the people of Ghana and should not be assessed through private award ceremonies.

"Performance in office cannot be measured by privately organised ceremonies," the President stressed.

Instead, he said the true measure of performance lies in the extent to which appointees deliver on government policies, programmes and sector-specific targets outlined in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) manifesto and the broader national development agenda.

The directive also signals increased performance monitoring within government.

President Mahama announced that the Presidency will undertake a comprehensive assessment of Ministers and Chief Executive Officers in the coming months.

According to the statement, the outcome of the review will play a key role in decisions concerning retention, reassignment and any future restructuring within government.

The President, therefore, urged all appointees to focus their attention on delivering results for Ghanaians rather than pursuing external recognition.

The directive comes on the back of the "Ghana Ministers of State Excellence Awards," staged by a private firm, Big Events Ghana, which has honoured serving and former ministers and chief executives across several editions.

The organisers have not publicly addressed payment allegations.