Mass recruitment: Chief of Staff's actions not arbitrary, based on precedent - Benjamin Quashie

Mr. Benjamin Kofi Quashie, Chair of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Council of Elders in South Africa, has called for amendments to Ghana’s Transition Act to better reflect the country’s governance structure in the future.

Speaking on Joy Prime’s Newspaper Review on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, Quashie defended Chief of Staff Julius Debrah’s decision to annul recruitment and employment made after the 2024 elections, asserting that the move was lawful and followed due process.

He dismissed the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) claim that the decision resembled a coup d’état, calling their position both inaccurate and irrelevant.

Drawing comparisons to the NPP’s actions when they assumed power in 2017, Quashie reminded them of then-Senior Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo’s remarks on a similar issue. He argued that revising the Transition Act would help prevent such disputes when governments change hands.

He further clarified that the Chief of Staff’s decision was not arbitrary but based on a report detailing irregularities in the recruitment process. “You would be surprised at what’s in the report. He knows it. Most of the recruitments were done in bad faith, placing NPP supporters in key institutions. That does not serve our national development agenda,” Quashie stated.

Given these concerns, he believes that reforming the Transition Act is necessary to eliminate future controversies. However, he acknowledged that if the report ultimately proves that employment decisions were based on merit, they should be upheld.

“But if party foot soldiers are placed in strategic positions in our economy, then you can’t blame the Chief of Staff for taking action. The right things must be done,” he emphasized.