The Council of State has decided to reduce its monthly allowance by 20 percent till the end of this year (2022), to augment Government’s efforts in dealing with economic challenges.
The decision, according to the Council of State, followed Cabinet’s decision to reduce its emoluments as part of efforts to recover the economic challenges.
The Chairman of the Council of State, Nana Otuo Siriboe who disclosed this decision in interaction with the President at the Jubilee House said the Council was hopeful that this action would be emulated by other organs of the State.
He said the Council over the past two weeks, had been deliberating on the country’s economic conditions and has been collating views to share with the President.
The Chairman said although the Council had received snippets of information of Government’s intended policy direction, some of the decisions formed part of the Council’s suggestions to be discussed with the President.
Nana Otuo Siriboe said, even though the Council was privy to some decisions taken by the Cabinet regarding the review of some of Government’s social intervention programmes, it was in the process of reviewing some views and proposals it had received to enhance the efficiency of the Free SHS policy.
The Council, he indicated, would share its views on the Free SHS policy with the President as soon as practicable, to make the policy more efficient and serve its intended purpose.
The Chairman expressed the Council’s confidence in the President’s ability to overcome the economic challenges confronting the nation.
President Akufo-Addo on his part said it was no secret that Ghana’s economy was going through difficult times, and added that “it is also no secret that Ghana is not alone in this exercise”.
He said many of the phenomena—the ravages of COVID-19, the Russian-Ukraine war and rising fuel prices—that were confronting Ghana, were almost the same challenges that most countries in the world are facing.
He said Government has taken difficult but necessary decisions to save the situation.
These decisions, according to the President would affect Ghanaians but he explained that they [difficult decisions] were necessary to correct the economic challenges confronting the nation.
President Akufo-Addo said Cabinet’s retreat last week was timely as it coincided with the public anxiety about the direction of the economy, especially with the fast depreciation of the Cedi and the surge in petrol prices.
President Akufo-Addo disclosed that although some of these decisions were in the public domain, the Minister for Finance will on Thursday 24th March 2022, layout in detail at a press conference.
Rex Mainoo Yeboah
