Appointments were suspended for lack of merit — Mumuni

Page 12, Friday June 26, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah & Daniel Nkrumah

THE Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, yesterday told Parliament that the appointments of 40 persons into the Foreign Service was suspended because they were not based on the principles of meritocracy and justice.
He explained that prior to those appointments, a shortlist of 157 persons had been interviewed and although the interview panel recommended the top-ranked 30 interviewees for appointment, only 11 out of the top 30 were issued appointment letters.
He added that 22 others who had taken part in the interview but could not make it into the first 30 and seven others who did not participate in the interview at all were rather issued with appointment letters.
He was responding to a question posed by the MP for Weija, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, on what had become of the appointments of “30 entry level foreign service officers whose appointments were revoked by the Transition Team in January 2009”.
Subsequently, he said after a review of the appointments, the top 30 candidates have been appointed into the service with effect from April 2, 2009.
Providing a background to events leading to the suspension of the earlier appointments, the minister said in December 2007, the ministry sought appropriate financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to recruit 30 personnel into the ministry.
He said following the receipt of the financial clearance, the ministry engaged the services of the West African Examinations Council and the Legon Centre for International Affairs to conduct an entrance examination for over 400 persons whose applications had been received by the Human Resource and Administrative Bureau of the ministry.
He said a selection board was subsequently constituted to interview applicants who had been shortlisted on the basis of their performance in the examination, as well as considerations of skills and requirements of the ministry.
The minister stated that on March 20, 2008, the interview panel submitted its report on the interview to the minister and recommended that the top-ranked 30 interviewees for appointment.
“After consideration of the report, the then Minister for Foreign Affairs’ Record of Decision to the OHCS listed 11 out of the 30 candidates recommended by the Selection Board for appointment, as well as 22 other candidates who had taken part in the interview, but could not make it into the first 30,” the minister stated.
He added that seven others who did not participate in the interview at all were also included, bringing the total number of persons recruited out of the exercise to 40.
Although he conceded that due approval had been obtained from the Office of the Civil Service by the ministry for the appointment of the extra 10 persons, the extra number had not been catered for by the Ministry of Finance.
The minister said on receipt of the Record of Decision, which was communicated to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service on November 21, 2008, and upon approval from the Head of the Civil Service on November 26, 2008, the 40 candidates were issued with the necessary appointment letters and were asked to assume duty by January 5, 2009 to undergo an induction and training programme, which was to start that day.
He indicated that, however, in the course of the programme the International Relations Subcommittee of the Transition Team called the ministry’s attention to some reported irregularities that had come to its notice regarding the recruitment exercise.
“The committee, therefore, advised the ministry to suspend the appointments of the 40 officers pending the outcome of investigations into the alleged improprieties,” the minister added.
He said an investigation by the committee established those irregularities, which he said were in breach of the 1992 Constitution and the laid down regulations governing appointments in the Ghana Civil Service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in particular.