Mahama's Smaller Presidency Costs More: Compensation Bill Jumps 148% Despite Cutting 124 Appointees

President Mahama's Presidency had 124 fewer political appointees in 2025 than the last publicly available figures from the Akufo-Addo administration in 2023. Yet the compensation bill is projected to more than double, from ¢100 million in 2025 to ¢248 million in 2026.

That raises a simple question: how does a smaller Presidency cost more to run?

The 2025 staffing report, submitted to Parliament in March 2026 under Section 11 of the Presidential Office Act (Act 463), shows 233 political appointees at the Jubilee House. That includes 4 Ministers of State, 39 Senior Presidential Staffers, and 190 junior political appointees.

For comparison, the 2023 report — the latest publicly available from the previous administration — recorded 357 political appointees: one Minister of State, 43 Senior Presidential Staffers, and 313 junior appointees. The reduction of 124 is significant, but it's worth noting that the headline numbers may not tell the full story.

A closer look at the classifications suggests the headline numbers may not tell the full story. At least 11 junior political appointees in the Mahama administration appear to hold roles that the Akufo-Addo government classified as senior. Among them are Nathan Kofi Boakye, Director of Operations; Goosie Tanoh, Presidential Advisor on the 24-Hour Economy; and Priscilla Santuo-Ocrah, a Presidential Staffer at the SDGs Secretariat.

Others include Khalid Sharif Mahmud, Policy Advisor on Economy at the Vice President's Secretariat; Dr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, Policy Advisor at the VP's Secretariat; Dr Peter Boamah Otokunor, Director of Presidential Initiative in Agriculture and Agribusiness; and Mansa Amoa-Awuah, Policy Advisor on Finance at the VP's Secretariat.

If these positions were classified the same way as under Akufo-Addo, the number of Senior Presidential Staffers would rise from 39 to about 50 — exceeding the 43 recorded in 2023. The current classification keeps the official senior count lower, but the practical difference may be smaller than it appears.

The total staff at the Presidency — including civil servants and public servants on attachment — dropped from 921 in 2023 to 808 in 2025, a reduction of 113. Compensation costs fell from ¢125 million in 2023 to ¢100 million in 2025, likely reflecting the lower headcount.

But the 2026 budget projects compensation of ¢248 million — a 148% increase in one year. The government hasn't explained what's driving the jump.

The NDC, while in opposition, frequently criticised the size of the Presidency, arguing that a large number of appointees meant high costs for the state. Now in power, President Mahama has delivered a leaner team on paper — but the budget suggests the savings may not materialise.

The 2024 staffing report, which would've covered Akufo-Addo's final year and the transition, hasn't been made public. It's unclear whether the report was submitted by President Mahama in 2025. Its absence means there's no benchmark to assess how staffing changed between administrations.

For now, Ghanaians are left with a paradox: fewer appointees, but a much bigger compensation bill. The question is whether the classification differences explain the cost — or whether something else is driving the jump.