Presidency orders outgoing appointees to return all state vehicles

The Office of the President has issued a final reminder to all outgoing political appointees, instructing them to return government vehicles in their possession by January 3, 2025.

This directive encompasses Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Regional Ministers, Special Assistants, and other officials serving in the current government.

In a statement signed by the Director of Communications, Eugene Arhin, on December 11, it was emphasized that political appointees are strictly prohibited from purchasing government vehicles. This policy, first implemented in 2020, remains unchanged as President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo nears the completion of his second and final term.

The directive applies to all appointees, including those serving on statutory boards and corporations, who are required to return the vehicles to the Chief Director of their respective ministries by the specified deadline.

The statement underscored that outgoing political appointees, including Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Regional Ministers, and others, are expected to comply with the policy, which has been in place since the President’s first term in 2020. At that time, a directive was issued barring officials from acquiring government vehicles, a prohibition that continues as the administration’s tenure concludes.

The statement further clarified that, unlike previous administrations where appointees were allowed to purchase one official saloon vehicle at a valuation by the State Transport Company Ltd., this practice will not be permitted under President Akufo-Addo’s leadership. No member of the current administration will be allowed to acquire any official vehicle as the government transitions.