Concerning the payment of ex-gratia to Article 71 officeholders, former president John Mahama has suggested that the 1992 Constitution will be reviewed by the National Democratic Congress (NDC’s) future administration.
“The 1992 Constitution Review, which President John Evans Atta Mills of blessed memory started, must be fully implemented by the following NDC administration. Ex-gratia payments and other things pertaining to Article 71 emoluments should be addressed head-on as part of this review, which should also try to reform the judiciary “Mahama stated at a gathering of NDC lawyers.
Following Articles 71(1) and (2) of the 1992 Constitution, the President shall decide on the salaries and allowances of the Executive, the Legislature, and the Judicial Branch paid from the Consolidated Fund based on the recommendations of a committee of no more than five individuals appointed by him and acting on the advice of the Council of State.
The Constitution specifies that Parliament will make salary decisions for the President, his Ministers, political appointees, and members of the Council of State based on recommendations by the same committee. The President, Vice-President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Justice, and Justices of the Supreme Court are among the individuals who hold offices covered by Article 71.
The remainder consists of Members of Parliament (MPs), Ministers of State, political appointees, and public employees, whose salaries are paid from the Consolidated Fund but who also get unique constitutional benefits. According to Article 71 (1) of the 1992 Constitution, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo established a five-member Committee in June 2019 to make recommendations to him and Parliament regarding the benefits and privileges that article 71 office holders are eligible for, including salaries and allowances.
The Committee’s mandate is to evaluate any other pertinent issue that it deems important to its work and to offer recommendations regarding emoluments and other advantages for article 71 office holders, as defined by the Constitution. The President’s monthly compensation will increase from GH42,979 to GH47,277 under the new remuneration structure, or a GH4,298 increase.
The Vice President receives a new salary of GH39,397, a rise of GH3,581 over his prior 2019 pay of GH35,816. Under the new wage structure, the Speaker of Parliament would earn GH3,183 more per month than he did in 2019, or GH31,838.
According to the Presidential Committee on Emoluments’ recommendation, the salaries of High Court Judges and Members of Parliament have been set at the same level, with a significant raise of GH2,547 from their previous 2019 salaries of GH25,470. Instead, their new monthly take-home pay will be GH28,017.
