The Presidency’s latest staffing report has sparked debate after revealing that while the number of political appointees has fallen, the compensation bill has increased sharply.
According to the 2025 Annual Report on the staffing position at the Office of the President, a total of 808 personnel were working at the Presidency as of December 31, 2025.
The workforce comprised 233 political appointees and 575 civil servants and other public sector employees assigned from various state institutions.
The report comes amid the Mahama administration’s pledge to operate a lean government and reduce political appointments.
Compared to the previous administration, the number of political appointees is estimated to have dropped by about 124, a development government officials say demonstrates their commitment to cutting the size of government.
However, despite the reduction in appointees, expenditure on employee compensation has become a major talking point. Budget documents show that compensation under the Office of Government Machinery (OGM), which includes the Presidency and several agencies under its supervision, rose from GH¢326.9 million in 2024 to an initial GH¢2.71 billion allocation in the 2025 Budget.
Following budget realignments and the transfer of some agencies, analysts noted that the compensation allocation remained substantially higher than the previous year’s figure, fueling public scrutiny over personnel costs.
Government has argued that the increase does not reflect spending on presidential staff alone. Officials explain that salaries for workers from agencies and institutions that were moved under the Office of Government Machinery following the restructuring of ministries were included in the allocation, causing the sharp rise in the compensation figure.
The staffing report further indicates that beyond political appointees, the Presidency employs a large number of support staff, including administrators, accountants, procurement officers, records officers, health personnel, maintenance workers, drivers and staff from agencies such as the Department of Parks and Gardens, Ghana Health Service and the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department.
While government maintains that the higher compensation bill is largely due to administrative restructuring, governance experts say the figures highlight the need for greater transparency in how presidential staffing and compensation costs are reported.
They argue that clearer classification of political appointees, presidential staffers and seconded public servants would help Ghanaians better assess the true cost of running the Presidency.
