A government committee reviewing controversial public sector appointment revocations has granted clemency to persons with disabilities, allowing them to regularise their recruitment despite initial procedural non-compliance.

The disclosure was made by Presidential Spokesperson and Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, at the weekly Government Accountability Series press conference in Accra.

Mr Kwakye Ofosu explained that although some persons with disabilities were found not to have fully complied with laid-down recruitment procedures, the committee considered their circumstances and the potential hardship strict enforcement would impose.

“There were some of our compatriots who suffered some disability, but we found that their recruitments should be revoked because they did not comply with the laid-down process. However, because of their peculiar situation and the hardship that could be imposed upon them, they were given clemency and allowed to regularise their processes,” he stated.

He noted that this special consideration — particularly within the Ghana Education Service — accounts for the difference between the 879 appointments initially revoked by institutions and the 541 ultimately recommended for revocation by the committee.

The five-member committee, chaired by Deputy Chief of Staff Nana Oye Bampo-Addo, reviewed 2,080 recruitments, appointments and promotions between March 21 and April 30, 2025. The exercise followed a February 10, 2025 directive from the Chief of Staff ordering the revocation of unlawful appointments made after December 7, 2024.

According to Mr Kwakye Ofosu, concerns had emerged that some individuals lawfully employed before the elections — or whose recruitment processes had begun but were not completed — were inadvertently affected.

Following its review, the committee upheld 1,539 appointments that met an 80 percent compliance benchmark. The remaining 541 were recommended for revocation for failing to satisfy procedural requirements.

The committee received 43 reports and heard from 36 institutions, including the Ghana Revenue Authority, Electoral Commission of Ghana, National Health Insurance Authority, and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust, among others.

Mr Kwakye Ofosu stressed that the committee applied an 80 percent pass mark and assessed compliance based on documentation such as vacancy declarations, advertisements, approved schemes of service, technical and financial clearances, interview reports and appointment letters.

He rejected allegations of political witch-hunting, describing the exercise as a necessary measure to uphold the rule of law and ensure accountability.

The minister also accused the previous administration of disregarding a transition agreement to submit ongoing recruitments and major payments for joint review, insisting that the revocations were grounded strictly in procedural non-compliance rather than political considerations.