Despite the changes in the leadership at the management level of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) with the Commissioner General, Anthony Kwasi Sarpong appointed by President John Dramani Mahama, apparatchiks of the erstwhile government are still in charge.
They are still occupying very powerful and sensitive departments they were promoted into while the previous government was in place, controlling who and what goes where or not.
Their continuous stay in these positions, many fear will in the long run likely lead to sabotage, aimed at making the government look bad, lose favour and goodwill from the general public.
The expectation was that since there was change in government, there will be changes of certain personalities and positions, as it is done in other state institutions, to bring fresh ideas and hungry-for-success officers, to rake in the needed resources for national development.
Employees who had anticipated this positive change at the Authority are however disappointed as these erstwhile appointees continue to dictate the pace, with the latest changes and transfers favouring only perceived New Patriotic Party (NPP) fanatics.
According to sources within the GRA, there has been movement of staff to a newly created juicy audit office that is mainly made up of these NPP gurus.
The carefully selected list of 42 employees, has apparently infuriated many in the Authority, wondering why appointees of government especially the Commissioner General, continue to show complete disinterest in the dynamics of who goes where.
A memo issued on Thursday May 15 from the Commissioner DTRD Edward Apenteng Gyamerah, signed on his behalf by Daniel Edisi Deputy Commissioner-OPS 1, to the Accra Area Directors and TSC’s, asked for the release of the selected auditors to occupy the new established office.
“You are hereby directed to release the auditors listed in the attached documents to resume duty in the newly established CRS Audit office, effective Monday, 19, 2025 at 8:00am prompts”, it said.
Concerned employees point out that the short notice is aimed at ensuring there is no space of time to scrutinize the list.
“Look at the date if the memo and the date stated for resumption of the new offices-only four days, The memo was written on 15th May and the selected NPP few must take office on 19th May, You see the rush with which they are fixing their NPP guys at GRA? Why should allow Mr Edward Apenteng Gyamerah and his two deputies, who were appointed by NPP to continue to be in charge and doing what they are doing”, one concerned staff said.
They complained, this same act of watching uncovered, occurred when power changed in 2009 and these NPP appointees boasted that they were in-charge regardless of the late President Prof John Evans Atta Mills win.
The appointment of the Commissioner General had earlier angered the National Democratic Congress (NDC) grassroots and foot soldiers some of who fiercely protested, indicating Anthony Kwasi Sarpong was not a known party person.
They had carried their objection of President Mahama’s choice to the environs of the GRA in Accra, picketing for a number of days. Another group in Tamale in the Northern Region raised the same concern, linking him to the NPP.
“We do not agree to this appointment for him to serve in your government because we do not see him as someone who can lead a revenue generation drive due to his affiliation with the NPP party. Mr Sarpong was appointed by former President Nana Akufo-Addo to serve on the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana (CAG) in September 2020”.
But later, there were media reports which traced his roots to the NDC citing his mother, one auntie Ama Sarpong, her instrumental role in the birth and growth of the party in the Denkyira area in the Central Region.
Kwasi Sarpong’s mother was also part of the 31st December Women Movement, a group led by Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, the former First Lady and wife of founder of the NDC and former president, Jerry John Rawlings. At the time, staff had stayed put showing no objection to the former senior partner of the KPMG appointment but from what is emerging, it looks like it won’t take long before some in the Authority may revolt against his seemingly nonchalant attitude.