A political science Professor at the University of Ghana, Prof. Ransford Gyampo has doubted the government’s resolve to cut down salaries of his appointees by 30% as part of measures to mitigate the economic hardships in the country. According to Prof. Gyampo, the “opulent lifestyles” of these appointees haven’t changed even in these hard times which makes him doubt if indeed their salaries have been slashed as announced by the president. “Mr President, unless we see the pay slip of appointees, we are unable to trust the refrain that their salaries have been reduced by 30%. We live with them and know their opulent lifestyles haven’t changed even in the days of hardship. We need evidence.” He wrote on his Facebook wall. The Ghanaian economy is currently in distress amid rising cost of living, high prices of goods and services, high unemployment rate, high debt to GDP ratio and depreciation of the local currency.
Speaking as the guest of honor in this year’s Eid Al Adha prayers, the president announced that he has slashed his salary and that of his appointees by 30% due to the current economic crisis. “We are all going to have to make some sacrifices to afford us the space to navigate the troubled waters of the current economic difficulties. The expenditure of ministries, departments, and agencies has been cut by 30 percent. The salaries of all appointees including myself have been reduced by 30 percent. Fuel coupon allocations have been slashed by 50 percent and other expenditures suspended.” He asked Ghanaians to bear with him as measures are being taken to bring the Economy back to life.
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