The Office of the Cabinet Secretary has issued a firm directive reminding Ministers of State to strictly follow Cabinet procedures before making any public announcements on government policies or programmes.
The directive follows recent instances where some Ministers have unveiled major initiatives without prior discussion, review, or approval by Cabinet.
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, for example, recently announced two key directives, one mandating the use of local languages as the medium of instruction in basic schools, and another instructing the Ghana Education Service (GES) to enforce discipline by barring students with unapproved hairstyles.
However, according to the Cabinet Secretariat, “no policy, programme, or major initiative shall be considered official Government policy unless it has been submitted to, deliberated upon, and approved by Cabinet,” in line with governance protocols and the constitutional principle of collective responsibility.
The statement, issued on Monday, October 27, further advised Ministers to channel all proposed policies and legislative initiatives through the Cabinet Secretariat via their Chief Directors for inclusion on the Cabinet agenda.
The Secretariat emphasized that adherence to these procedures is vital for policy coherence, collective accountability, and consistency in government communication. It cautioned that any policy announced without Cabinet approval “will not be recognized as official Government policy.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has clarified that the directive on the use of Ghanaian languages in teaching applies only from Kindergarten to Primary Three (Lower Primary), and not across all basic school levels, following public debate over the announcement.
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