Wetin we know about Ghana govment fresh ban on foreign travels for board members of state agencies
Wia dis foto come from, GHANA PRESIDENCY
President Mahama don ban board members and oda executives of state-owned enterprises and oda public institutions from foreign travels wit immediate effect.
Dis be afta di govment say dem find say some of dis board members and odas dey use public moni to travel for international conferences, training programmes, retreats and odas.
According to one statement from di presidency, "dis kain trips don dey blow up expenses for airfares, accommodation, per diem, allowances and oda cost of logistics, wey bin dey pressure di public purse".
"At a time, di govment dey ensure fiscal discipline and efficient use of public resources, dis kain tin no go dey tolerated – sake of dat, di president don ban dis foreign travels," di statement from di secretary to di president oga Callistus Mahama add.
Dis new order dey come one year afta di president bin ban all im appointees from first-class travels.
When im swear-in di ministers at dat time, President John Mahama tok say "any travel wey be essential, gatz to get clearance from di chief of staff, wey dem for no use first class flights".
Im warn say appointees for no waste di public moni for dis kain travel at a time di govment dey reduce expenditure.
One year on, di president now extend di ban to cover board members and oda executives wey im order di various sector ministers to supervise dis new order.
Fresh guidelines for board members of SOEs & public institutions
Wia dis foto come from, NIPAH DENIS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Despite di fact say inflation don reduce, same as di exchange rate and oda economic factors bin dey improve, di govment say dis new order go "protect di public purse and cut down expenditure".
From now, President Mahama say di various ministries gatz ensure di following tins:
- Board members of SOEs and public institutions neva go undertake international travel for training, retreat, conference etc directly or indirectly from public resources
- Dis boards gatz use virtual channels for some of dis trainings
- Dem for use local agencies and schools for di training and oda retreats for dis board members
- Only di president go approve any international travel for dis board members – afta dem send formal request wey dem justify why dem gatz travel by all means
For dis kain formal request for presidential approval, dem for add details like purpose and outcome of di trip, di importance of di trip, number of pipo, di estimated cost among odas.
Reaction to di latest travel ban
Civil society groups and oda govnance experts say even though di new order go save public resources, di govment gatz also cut cost for all oda areas.
Some pipo say di ban gatz to extend to all oda appointees.
Activist and lawyer Oliver Barker-Vormawor tok say "president of small kontri gatz to sweat di small tins," im write on top social media.
"Dis tins dey look small but dem dey add up."
Oliver add say "our work to improve di kontri dey here, no be abroad. Plenti of di abuse of di system dey happun when politicians decide to use di public moni for dia private wet dreams".
Oga for one policy think-tank Imani Africa bin dey wonder if dis kain ban dey work at all.
"Dis ban ever dey work? We gatz to make examples of pipo wey no dey observe di rules wit proper punishment; dem for sack any pesin wey no respect dis order," oga Franklin Cudjoe write.
