Government has denied paying sitting allowances to any member of the transition teams, which are working to ensure smooth transfer of political power to an Akufo-Addo government on January 7, 2017.

The Akufo-Addo side of the transition team claimed it as part of austerity measures by the incoming government, forfeited allowances, food and drinks offered them in the course of the transition.

“The working committees and the nine members from the side of the president-elect have also declined sitting allowances, lunch and other beverages as a sign of commitment to the austere times in which we are, and same has been communicated to the co-chair and the team on the other side,” its spokesperson, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said at a news conference.

But the spokesperson of the government transition team, Ms Hanna Tetteh, in a Facebook post-Friday evening denied any payment of sitting allowances to members of either side of the transition team. “No sitting allowances have been paid to any member of the transition team (both for the current and incoming administration),” she posted.

She explained that since the handing over notes were made available by the government side of the transition team, no meeting of the full membership of the transition team has been held.

Ms Tetteh who is also the Foreign Affairs Minister noted there have, however, been sub-committee meetings, and the incoming government side of the transition team has been working from the Accra International Conference Centre.

“From the beginning of the Transition process provision for snacks & lunch were made by the Office of the President and were available only for members of the transition team working from the Accra International Conference Centre,” she stated.

“If the incoming administration has taken the position that they do not want to have such provision made any longer that is entirely their prerogative,” she indicated.

She said the government would continue to work for a smooth transition of political power from the John Mahama-led government to an Akufo-Addo government.