Extend Salary Cuts for Executives to 2024 – IMANI Boss to Akufo-Addo

Policy think tank IMANI Africa has advised the government to ensure that the salary cut for ministers and heads of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) goes beyond December 2022.

Cabinet earlier approved a proposal that ministers and the heads of SOEs contribute 30% of the salary they earn between April and December 2022 to the Consolidated Fund.

Members of the Council of State have also agreed to a 20% cut to their monthly allowance for the next year to support efforts aimed at stabilising the economy.

The Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has said the government will save about GHC3.5 billion from the 30% salary cut of ministers and heads of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) among other measures.

However, reacting to the development on TownHall Talk on Asaase Radio with Kofi Abotsi, Franklin Cudjoe, the president of IMANI said the policy must be extended to 2024.

A good move

“It was a good move by the government to cut the salaries of those in government as it has now set a considerable example. I am not discounting the importance of the salary cuts [of the people] in government and I agree with it. I would have actually proposed for the cuts to go beyond December right to 2024,” Cudjoe said.

He added: “The challenge I have is that a lot of the [wages and salaries] cut should have gone beyond personnel and departmental level rationalisation to a review of most of the [government’s] flagship projects.”