Concerned citizens petition Chief of Staff over alleged payments in Ministers of State awards

Two citizens have petitioned the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, Julius Debrah, to investigate alleged financial inducements linked to the 6th Ghana Ministers of State Excellence Awards.

The awards were held in Accra on Saturday, June 6, during which several ministers and chief executive officers received recognition for what organisers described as outstanding performance.

The Overall Best Performing Minister was awarded to Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson. The Best Male Performing Minister went to Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, while Linda Akweley Ocloo, Greater Accra Regional Minister, was named Best Regional Minister.

Others include Best Female Performing Minister, Rita Akosua Awatey, Eastern Regional Minister; Best Deputy Minister, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, Deputy Minister of Transport; Best Male Performing CEO, Julius Neequaye Kotey, Chief Executive Officer of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority; Best Performing CEO, Prof. Yaw Gyampo, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers Authority; and Best Female Performing CEO, Ruth Seddoh, Administrator of the National Service Secretariat.

However, following the awards, Professor Michael Kpessa-Whyte, Director-General of the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), alleged in an opinion editorial that the scheme required prospective recipients to make payments before receiving honours.

According to Prof. Kpessa-Whyte, he was approached by organisers and informed that attendance to receive the award was linked to either a sponsorship package worth GH¢50,000 or the purchase of a table for eight at GH¢25,000.

Citing this, the petition, signed by Kwaku D.A. Takyi and Kamaldeen Ibrahim and submitted on Monday, further alleged that certain officials who received awards are connected to the reported scheme, raising questions about the integrity of the selection process.

The group is calling for an independent probe into the circumstances surrounding the awards and the reported monetary demands by organisers.

“We respectfully write to petition your high office to initiate an immediate investigation into allegations that certain government appointees paid sums ranging between GH¢25,000 and GH¢50,000 to secure recognition in an awards scheme dubbed the ‘6th Ghana Ministers of State Excellence Awards’, which took place on Saturday, June 6, 2026,” the petition stated.

It added that such allegations, if confirmed, would have serious implications for public trust in governance.

“It is our respectful contention that these allegations, if proven true, would undermine the integrity of public office, erode public confidence in government appointees, and violate the ethical standards expected of public servants,” the petition noted.

The petition also urged the Presidency to take immediate steps to address the matter.

Among others, the petitioners are demanding that clear ethical guidelines be established to prevent similar incidents in future, stressing the need to protect the credibility of public service honours and award systems.