Government Reduces Official Delegation to 80th UN General Assembly: “God Bless JM”
- The presidency has issued a directive preventing all government officials from attending the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York
- The statement indicated that any member who wants to attend but is not part of the official government delegation must seek permission from the Chief of Staff
- Social media users who saw the statement thronged the comment section to share their varied thoughts on the directive
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President John Mahama’s administration has issued a directive barring all government officials from attending the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York without approval from the Chief of Staff.
This was contained in a statement signed by the President’s Spokesperson, Felix Kwakye Ofosu.
Source: Facebook
In the statement, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, indicated that any official who does not comply with the directive will face severe sanctions in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Public Office Holders and the Civil and Public Service Codes of Conduct.
The statement added that all invitations must be sent to the Chief of Staff for approval or otherwise in writing.
“No Minister, Deputy Minister, Civil or Public Servant, CEO/MD of a State-Owned Enterprise, Political Appointee, or any staff of Government may accept any invitation to, or attend, UNGA 80 or any related side meetings, panels, receptions, bilateral engagements, or third-party events without the express, prior written approval of the Chief of Staff.”
“Subsequently, all pending or previously accepted invitations have been suspended unless and until expressly re-authorised by the Chief of Staff,” the statement added.
Source: Facebook
It stated that only the official government delegation, as cleared in writing by the Chief of Staff, will be allowed to travel and participate in the UN General Assembly meetings.
According to Felix Kwakye Ofosu, this new measure is intended to cut costs, and it aligns with the president’s ‘Resetting Ghana’ agenda.
Reactions to lean UN Delegation
YEN.com.gh collated some reactions to the post shared by Felix Kwakye Ofosu on X. Read them below:
@_Drederder said:
“I love this gutsy move. Unlike the last administration, he would’ve accepted the invitation, just like he went to France for some questionable award. History won’t look kindly on you, @NAkufoAddo.”
@Nana_Realest wrote:
“God bless JM’s Presidency 🙏🏽.”
@abenbebom_233 said:
“This is not about being "cost-effective." Restricting your team's UNGA participation is a clear move to cut ties with the West and realign our foreign policy with the East. Why are we shifting away from our long-held policy of non-alignment? Anyansafoɔ bɛte asɛe. Mosuro coup.”
@CurrencyForte7 wrote:
“This is a very good initiative because too many people bloat the government budget with such travels, which could be done by max 3-5 people. Their going to the UNGA doesn’t bring any direct benefit to the country except their own pockets and passport enhancement, etc.”
@hamidzaak said:
“Our leaders don't walk the talk; they say one thing and act differently. As usual, Ghanaians are monitoring; we're no longer spectators.”
@oscadukpo wrote:
“God bless you, Mr President, now some money will find usefulness within institutions. Example, repair works on broken equipment, which never get priority over travel budgets, etc.”
@nyamekye_e2612 said:
“For once, we're seeing sanity in public spending. No more bloating entourage, with girlfriends, boyfriends, and so on. The bots in the NPP won't see this, but would be talking about Kobina Adu Boahene, who'll soon end up at Nsawam room 29.”
Government appointees banned from first-class flights
YEN.com.gh reported that President John Mahama banned non-essential foreign travel for his appointees.
The president also announced plans to introduce a comprehensive code of conduct for all government appointees.
Source: YEN.com.gh
