The Minister of Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has said that the President of Ghana, Nana Addo, does not approve salaries and benefits for the Executive, and by extension, for the First Lady and wife of the Vice President.
He went ahead to debunk rumours making rounds that the President has approved for First Lady Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo and Mrs. Samira Bawumia to be paid same salaries as Cabinet ministers.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah affirmed that indeed there has been an increase in the salaries of the First and Second Lady but it was approved by the current Parliament of Ghana.
”The President does approve salaries and benefits for the Executive. Under article 71, the First Lady and Second Lady are not office holders so no one can determine their benefits under that article. But a committee only recommended that an arrangement for the spouses be made formal and that received approval from Parliament”, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah stated.
The Information Minister further said that under John Agyekum Kuffour’s he made arrangement for the First Lady and Second Lady to enjoy allowances but it didn’t have any formal documentation since the beginning of his administration in 2000.
He added that the allowances given to the wife of the President and the Vice President was always considered as part of the privileges of the President and Vice President.
