Akufo-Addo places temporary travel ban on government officials

President of the republic, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, has stopped all ministers of state and government officials from traveling abroad until further notice.

The directive on a temporary ban was contained in a press statement signed by the chief of staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, has warned that the only minister allowed to travel will be the minister for foreign affairs and regional integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway.

It is not clear what may have caused the president to take this action but YEN.com.gh is picking from the statement that the continuous travels of ministers, deputy ministers, MMDCEs and heads of government agencies are “disrupting government’s domestic work”.

This action by the president follows concerns that have been raised by critics over the culture of government officials traveling around the world instead of staying in their offices to work.

In fact, YEN.com.gh has recently published a story on how a former deputy CEO of the Ghana Tourism Development Company resigned because her superiors were traveling so much at the expense of work that has to be done.

Ohenea Akua Manfo, also known as Akua Blakofe, fumed that her boss, Kojo Antwi, does not want to work but rather travel across the world and take per diems.

“There are no management meetings. He just travels, travels and travels. If I see his driver, it means he is in the country but if I don’t see his driver then that means he is not in the country,” she said on the Facebook page.

President Akufo-Addo is not exempt from this criticism. In fact, the opposition NDC has accused the president of causing financial loss to the state by traveling more than any other president in the history of Ghana’s fourth republic.