Former CEO of Cal Bank, Frank Adu Jnr, has cautioned President John Mahama to ensure that political appointees in his administration deliver on their mandates—or be swiftly removed from office.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Monday, June 30, Adu Jnr said persistent underperformance in key sectors stems from a dangerous culture in which political appointees are shielded from accountability due to their affiliations.
“It is early days yet,” the renowned banker stated, “but President Mahama has to be mindful of how his appointees deliver.”
He acknowledged recent signs of economic stability, particularly in the performance of the cedi, which he said “allows for planning.” However, he warned that the bigger challenge lies in fulfilling political promises—something often hampered by how appointees are selected and managed.
“So far so good,” Mr. Adu Jnr noted. “But the difficulty is in keeping those promises. And the kind of political system we operate in this country basically forces contestants to make promises they later struggle to fulfil.”
He expressed concern over the entrenched culture of impunity among political appointees, describing it as a systemic flaw that undermines performance-based governance.
“I have not seen or heard, in probably the past 18 years, any sector minister or president criticise or question an appointee for non-performance,” he said. “And you know why? It’s because all these appointees are political affiliates.”
According to Adu Jnr, political loyalty often outweighs competence. Those who support election campaigns are rewarded with positions, but when they fail to deliver, their connections protect them from dismissal.
“For example, in any of the parastatals—say VRA or ECG—if the CEO, being a political appointee, is underperforming, it becomes very difficult for the sector minister to take them on,” he explained.
He added that this approach weakens the effectiveness of governance and fosters a culture where defending incompetence becomes the norm.
“Anytime there’s a problem in any sector or ministry, you find the party or minister defending the mismanagement instead of confronting it.”
Describing the system as fundamentally anti-meritocratic, he said: “The more noise you make while in a position, the more likely you are to become a CEO, ambassador, or minister. That is not meritocracy.”
He cited the Akufo-Addo administration as a prime example of what happens when appointees are not held accountable.
“That happened under Akufo-Addo. You take the SIGA companies and all these parastatals—how many of them performed? Maybe SIC, which paid dividends and so on.”
Mr. Adu Jnr concluded by stressing that unless Ghana shifts toward a performance-driven system, President Mahama and future governments risk repeating a cycle of unfulfilled promises and poor delivery.
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