Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has firmly refuted claims made on Adom FM that former President John Dramani Mahama increased the salaries of Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to GH₵35,000.
The controversy arose earlier this week when Omanhene Kwabena Asante, host of the Adom FM Morning Show, alleged that the government raised MMDCEs’ salaries from GH₵5,000 to GH₵35,000 a near sevenfold increase.
In a live interview on Adom FM with the same host, Eric Opoku clarified the misinformation, describing the report as “false and misleading.”
The minister asked directly, “I heard you’ve said we’ve increased MMDCEs salary by 67%?” to which the host retorted, “Yes, I said it.”
Responding, Opoku rejected the claim, stating that such a salary increase would violate Ghanaian law.
“No MMDCE salary has been increased under this NDC government,” he asserted.
Eric Opoku explained that MMDCE salaries are governed by Article 71 of the Constitution and a 2011 committee report, which recommended that MMDCEs’ pay be indexed to the Award 55 scale with an annual 10% increment.
“At the time the NDC left office in 2016, every MMDCE was earning approximately GH₵16,445 annually. The subsequent New Patriotic Party (NPP) government was expected to implement a 10% yearly salary increase as mandated but initially failed to do so,” he said.
He noted that it was only after the Local Government Minister, Hon. Dan Botwe, intervened that the 10% increment was finally approved. The government then calculated and disbursed arrears and ex-gratia payments, bringing MMDCE salaries to around GH₵32,000.
Opoku concluded, “So, every new MMDCE appointed under the Mahama administration starts at that salary level because that is the amount they inherited. This is what you heard and claiming that the current government has increased their salary.”
Source: www.Kumasimail.com
