Almost half (GHC6billion) of what was spent by the government in paying public sector workers (GHC14billion) was blown on needless allowances, founding president of think tank IMANI Ghana, Mr Franklin Cudjoe, has said.

Commenting on the recent 10% raise for Article 71 office holders including the president, Mr Cudjoe said although the upward adjustment was “not astronomical” and “outrageous” as it had been in the past, such office holders were still earning, per month, three times more than the $1,340 yearly per capita income of the average Ghanaian.

“I understand that there are perks with every office that people should enjoy but if you add this to the fact that allowances within the public sector [are high] – the civil servant, from the middle level all the way to the top level; cumulatively with Article 71 holders allowances alone, I think it’s about GHS6billion. That’s almost 70 percent of the entire wage bill in 2016,” Mr Cudjoe told Joy FM on Thursday.

He suggested that allowances for the public sector be consolidated so as to save about GHS4billion of the wastage, since, in his view, the status quo is being taken advantage of by chief directors and administrators of the public sector who deliberately schedule unnecessary meetings for every year just so they could bag several thousands of cedis as allowances in addition to their salaries.