‘I’m Not Paid As A Minister, Not Even 1-cedi’ – Kojo Oppong Nkrumah

Information Minister, Kwadwo Oppong Nkrumah, has stated that he does not receive any additional payment as a minister in President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s government.

According to him, ministers who are also Members of Parliament do not receive a separate salary or allowance from the government.

Addressing concerns regarding the size of the government, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah clarified that the public’s focus should not be solely on the compensation budget but should also consider the division of funds between political appointees and non-political government workers.

He highlighted that the compensation budget encompasses both categories, with a significant portion allocated to non-political appointees such as rotational nurses and police personnel.

“If you talk about the size of the government…I believe you are talking about the size of the compensation budget, more especially the money which is used to pay government workers. That is divided into two parts, one part has to do with those who are not political appointees, like those I have been mentioning this morning, the rotational nurses, police, and others, when you talk about the compensation budget, there is part of it…but I believe that the one people are talking about has to do with political appointees.

“It is true that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo explained why he choose a certain number of ministers but there was a clause he added in which he explained that the majority of ministers he has appointed are Members of Parliament, and because they are members of parliament, they don’t take anything extra, it doesn’t cost the taxpayer anything extra on the compensation side.

“For me, that I am talking to you… they don’t pay me one cedi as Minister of State, because Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s policy is that, if you are a Member of Parliament and he gives you a minister or deputy minister, it is not even up to you to make a choice that you want this or not, you get paid on your MP salary. So, when people make this argument about the size of the government, the reality is that the majority of ministers who are Members of Parliament, don’t get paid extra,” he said.

Speaking in an interview with Peace FM’s Kokrokoo on May 19, 2023, he further emphasized that President Akufo-Addo’s policy stipulates that if an MP is chosen to serve as a minister or deputy minister, they continue to be paid based on their existing MP salary and as a result, no extra burden is placed on taxpayers.