The Presidency has issued a directive barring Ministers, Chief Executive Officers of state institutions, and other political appointees from accepting or participating in awards organised by private entities without prior approval from the Office of the President.

The new instruction, communicated by Secretary to the President Callistus Mahama, follows growing concerns by President John Dramani Mahama over the increasing number of public officials receiving honours from private organisations claiming to recognise excellence in public service.

According to the Presidency, many of these award schemes operate without clearly established assessment standards, while the credibility and credentials of some organisers remain difficult to verify.

Government believes the practice has the potential to create misleading impressions about the performance of public officials and may undermine public confidence in the evaluation of government appointees.

The directive emphasises that public service performance should not be determined by privately organised recognition events that lack transparency, accountability and objective measurement criteria.

As a result, all political appointees have been instructed not to sponsor, endorse, attend or accept awards from such organisations unless specific approval has been granted by the Presidency.

The statement further noted that government remains focused on delivering on its policy commitments and development priorities rather than pursuing external recognition.

According to the Presidency, the performance of Ministers and heads of state institutions will be assessed using measurable outcomes, quality of service delivery, prudent management of public resources and the effective implementation of government programmes.

The Presidency also announced that a formal evaluation of Ministers and Chief Executive Officers will be undertaken at a later date, with the results expected to influence decisions regarding appointments, reassignments and future restructuring within government.

Public officials have therefore been urged to concentrate on their official responsibilities and the delivery of results rather than seeking accolades from award schemes whose credibility may be in question.

The directive forms part of broader efforts to strengthen accountability, professionalism and public confidence in government institutions.