Kofi Bentil, Vice President of IMANI Africa, has urged the government to introduce a law preventing last-minute public sector recruitments ahead of elections to avoid politically motivated hirings and subsequent mass dismissals.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, February 24, Mr. Bentil stated that such last-minute appointments create unnecessary tensions and should be legally discouraged.
“A law should be put in place to stop governments from recruiting people when elections are imminent and a change of government is possible. This would prevent mass dismissals that create unnecessary public dissatisfaction,” he said.
His comments follow the recent directive by the new government to terminate the employment of public sector workers hired before the December 2024 elections who were still on probation. The government claims these recruitments were improper and must be reversed.
While some have criticized the mass layoffs as politically motivated, Mr. Bentil argued that if the recruitments were done improperly, the dismissals are justified. However, he emphasized that preventing such actions in the future is the real solution.
