TEMA, Ghana, 29th August: Abraham Koomson, Secretary-General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), has called for greater transparency in the reshuffling of political appointees, arguing that affected officials should be informed of the reasons behind changes to their portfolios.
According to him, although the 1992 Constitution grants the President broad powers to appoint, reassign and reshuffle ministers and other political appointees, clearly communicating the reasons for such changes either privately to the affected officials or, where appropriate, publicly would strengthen governance, promote transparency and build trust within state institutions.
He noted that in Ghana, public perception often equates a reshuffle with dismissal or poor performance, creating uncertainty and sometimes affecting the morale and loyalty of appointees.
Speaking on Ahotor FM’s Yepe Ahunu programme on Saturday, August 29, 2026, Mr Koomson said reshuffles have historically been carried out without prior notification to affected ministers and appointees, describing the practice as troubling.
“Reshuffles since the late President Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s time have been carried out without prior notification to the affected ministers or appointees. This approach is troubling because of the insecurity of tenure for appointees,” he said.
His comments follow President John Dramani Mahama’s latest ministerial reshuffle, which saw the Minister of Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, moved to head the Ministry of State in charge of Special Initiatives.
Emmanuel Agyekum, who previously served as Minister of State in charge of Special Initiatives, has been appointed as the new Minister of Labour, Jobs and Employment.
Mr Koomson praised Dr Pelpuo for what he described as his contribution to maintaining stability on the labour front, noting that under his leadership, organised labour did not stage any collective demonstration.
Although he expressed concern about Dr Pelpuo’s reassignment, the GFL Secretary-General said he respected the President’s constitutional authority to make such decisions.
He wished the outgoing Labour Minister well in his new role and congratulated Mr Agyekum on his appointment.
Mr Koomson further disclosed that organised labour would soon engage the new Labour Minister on key issues, including the determination of the base pay and national minimum wage.
He said the discussions would be crucial to ensuring continued industrial harmony and addressing the concerns of workers across the country.
In his concluding remarks, Mr Koomson commended the Mahama administration but maintained that as part of the resetting agenda, political appointees should be informed of the reasons for changes to their portfolios.
“As a labour union and industrial relations practitioner, I am of the view that appointees need to be made aware of the reasons for changes in their portfolios to put them at ease and maintain loyalty to the political party,” he said.
Mr Koomson argued that a more transparent approach to political reshuffles would reduce speculation, address perceptions of poor performance and strengthen confidence among appointees, while ultimately improving governance and institutional stability.