Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, has stated that members of President John Dramani Mahama’s newly established Presidential Advisory Group on the Economy (PAGE) will not receive any remuneration for their services.
According to Mr Kwakye Ofosu, the advisory group is made up of distinguished professionals who are not government employees.
“As we speak, I am not certain about any remuneration. They are not permanent employees,” he said. “Many of these people are already engaged in other activities. Some people are lecturing at universities and are already on the public payroll, so I am not aware of any additional remuneration for them.”
He made the comments during an interview on Joy FM on Friday, January 16.
Mr Kwakye Ofosu explained that the advisory group will independently determine the frequency of its meetings and other operational modalities, while focusing on ensuring that government policies deliver tangible benefits to the public.
“What is certain is that they will keep a close eye on the economy and ensure that the policies being implemented benefit the generality of our people,” he stated.
He stressed that members of the group were not motivated by financial gain.
“They are not in here to make a quick buck. They have been called upon to put their expertise at the disposal of the nation because we require a firm hand in the way our economy is managed,” he added.
The Presidency has said the group will provide strategic counsel on macroeconomic management, fiscal consolidation and debt sustainability, as well as coherence between fiscal and monetary policy.
Its mandate also includes advice on structural transformation, industrial development, competitiveness and export-led growth, alongside guidance on sectoral development, private sector expansion, investment mobilisation and sustainable job creation.
Members of the advisory group include Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang; private sector leader and former PAGE member Mr Ishmael Yamson; economist and private sector leader Mr Kwame Pianim; and former Deputy Minister of Finance and Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Ms Nana Oye Mansa Yeboaa. The team also features Dr Kwabena Duffuor, former Governor of the Bank of Ghana and former Minister for Finance, as well as renowned industrialist and private sector leader Sir Samuel Esson Jonah.
Other members are Mr Ato Brown, a former World Bank infrastructure specialist and agribusiness investor; Dr Henry A. Kofi Wampah, former Governor of the Bank of Ghana; Togbe Afede XIV, economist and private sector leader; Ms Abena Amoah, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Stock Exchange; Professor Priscilla Twumasi Baffour, a university professor and academic researcher; and Professor Patience Aseweh Abor, PhD, also a university professor and academic researcher.