Damongo MP, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, has argued that the size of a government cannot be accurately determined solely by the number of ministers and deputy ministers appointed.

According to him, a proper assessment of government size must consider the broader compensation structure, the number of presidential staffers, advisers, and appointees across state institutions, as well as personnel engaged through agencies such as the National Security Secretariat.

Speaking on Joy FM's Top Story on Monday, June 15, in response to claims that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was engaging in partisan politics by criticising the size of the current administration, Mr Abdulai Jinapor maintained that his concerns were based on budgetary figures and staffing structures rather than political considerations.

“This is not politics,” he said. “If you look at the size of government just on the basis of the number of ministers and deputy ministers appointed, you will get it totally wrong.”

The ranking member on Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee explained that although the Mahama administration had appointed fewer ministers than its predecessor, a true picture of government size would emerge only after examining compensation expenditures and the grading of political appointees within the Office of Government Machinery.

The former Lands and Natural Resources Minister cited the 2025 Budget, noting that compensation expenditure under the Office of Government Machinery was initially projected at GH¢2.7 billion, which was adjusted during the appropriation process.

He observed that actual compensation spending had since risen to about GH¢540 million in the current fiscal period, raising questions about staffing levels despite the reduction in ministerial appointments.

The former minister, who said he oversaw human resource matters during the first term of the Akufo-Addo administration, explained that salaries and benefits for presidential staffers are determined by established grading structures, with some advisers receiving remuneration equivalent to that of cabinet ministers.

“So if you have an Office of the President with a lot of senior presidential advisers, compensation may go up. If you have another administration with more presidential aides pegged at deputy minister level, compensation may be lower,” he stated.

Mr Abu Jinapor further alleged that several National Democratic Congress regional organisers had been appointed as presidential staffers attached to Regional Coordinating Councils and were drawing salaries from the Office of Government Machinery's compensation budget.

He also claimed that political appointees serving as corporate affairs directors, special advisers and communication advisers had been deployed across ministries, departments and agencies, contributing to the overall compensation bill.

“What you have to do is interrogate the compensation budget for the Office of Government Machinery and examine the status and peggings of the various appointees,” he said.

His comments come amid ongoing public debate over the size of government and the cost of political appointments, following repeated assurances by the Mahama administration that it is operating a leaner government structure than previous administrations.

Also, government early on rejected reports suggesting that President John Mahama has overseen a massive surge in the Presidency’s compensation bill despite reducing the number of political appointees.

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Minister numbers do not show true government size - Samuel Jinapor

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