The Phenomenon of Special Assistants as Gatekeepers and Their Impact on the Performance of Bureaucrats in the Ghanaian Civil Service

An issue that has plagued the public services since the inauguration of the Fourth Republic in 1992 is that of the over-politicisation of the public service. A phenomenon which has led to the high level of politicisation is the issue of special assistants (SAs). Until recently, this phenomenon was less known. These special assistants serve as “gatekeepers” to ministers, and this is a major concern to civil servants. How has the presence of SAs affected, and continue to affect, the performance of civil servants, especially in policy development? Using the “gatekeeper” idea, it is argued that the presence of special assistants in a service continues to negatively affect the performance of civil servants in four major areas: professionalism, institutional memory, motivation, and policy development. The chapter uses both primary and secondary sources to gain a broader understanding of the issue to substantiate the argument.