Former Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Acheampong, has dismissed as “misguided and unfortunate” claims by the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, that the previous NPP administration’s poor recruitment practices are to blame for current salary delays affecting newly employed nurses, teachers, and junior doctors.
Speaking on Breakfast Daily on Channel One TV on Thursday, October 9, 2025, Mr. Acheampong refuted the allegations, stressing that all recruitments under the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government followed due administrative and financial procedures, leaving no room for arbitrary hiring.
His comments were in response to Mr. Pelpuo’s remarks on the Citi Breakfast Show a day earlier, where the Minister attributed the ongoing delays in salary payments to what he described as fiscal indiscipline and uncoordinated recruitments by the former government.
Mr. Acheampong questioned why a seasoned politician like Mr. Pelpuo would overlook the legal frameworks that govern public sector recruitment.
“Sometimes, I wonder why someone with such experience would make those claims. In the public sector, you can only recruit when there are vacancies. If there are no retirements or newly created positions, you can’t just employ people,” he explained.
He further clarified that all public service recruitments must first receive financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance to ensure fiscal responsibility and avoid unauthorized spending.
“Before any hiring takes place, the Ministry of Finance grants clearance and sets a timeline for implementation. This is done to ensure that the government has mobilized enough funds to sustain those new workers,” Mr. Acheampong stated.
According to him, the current delays in salary payments cannot be blamed on the past administration, as verification and validation processes are necessary to maintain transparency and accountability.
“Government officials have been in office for just nine months. If payments have delayed, it’s due to the mandatory validation processes, not because of recklessness,” he emphasized.
Mr. Acheampong accused the current government of politicizing administrative challenges rather than working to resolve them.
“It’s disappointing when people seek to appear righteous by calling others reckless, even when the proper procedures were followed,” he concluded.
