The Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku- Agyemang, has called for a renewed fight against corruption across Africa, using Ghana’s experience as an example of both early leadership and ongoing challenges.
Speaking on the theme “Revitalising the Anti-Corruption Architecture in Africa: Ghana’s Accountability Journey,” on Friday in Accra, she highlighted the urgent need to strengthen institutions, laws, and partnerships to tackle the evolving nature of corruption.
She reminded the continent that it has been two decades since the African Union adopted its anti-corruption convention, and while some progress had been made, corruption had grown more complex.
Ghana, she noted, was among the first countries to ratify the convention and submit a baseline report to the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption (AUABC), showing early commitment to the cause.
“Ghana’s fight has been built on solid laws such as the Whistleblower Act, the Right to Information Act, and the establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
“The National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP), which ran from 2015 to 2024, provided strategic direction, and a second phase, NACAP 2, is now being developed using lessons learned from the past,” she said.
Despite these efforts, the Vice President admitted that Ghana had faced setbacks.
“Recent reports from Transparency International, the Ibrahim Index, and Ghana’s own Statistical Service reveal disturbing trends,” she said.
She said over GH¢5 billion was lost to bribery in one year, adding that the IMF noted that Ghana’s ability to control corruption had declined over the past decade.
She acknowledged that citizens remained frustrated by weak enforcement and political interference, calling these concerns a sign of public demand for real change.
To address these issues, she praised President John Dramani Mahama’s leadership and renewed efforts to strengthen accountability.
The Special Prosecutor, Mr Kissi Agyebeng, said his outfit had mandate to recover and manage the proceeds of corruption and corruption related offences in relation to public officers, politically exposed persons, and persons in the private sector.
However, he said that the mandate was only applicable in conviction base procedures, though the OSP was mandated to exercise limited aspects of civil assets recovery under its declaration of property and income regime.
In addition, Mr Agyebeng explained that the limited scope and outlook of the provision of Article 246 (4) of the constitution, and the Criminal Offences Act 1960 (Act 29) further exacerbated the fight against corruption as it primarily focused on public officers.
He said unexplained portions of the source of income of individuals should be liable to confiscation to help in the detection fraud and undeclared income for tax purposes.
The board member of the AUABC, Mrs Yvonne Mutepuka Chibiya, commended Ghana for strengthening her accountability frameworks and her commitment to the state parties review mission conducted under the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption.
The AUABC, Mrs Chibiya said, would work with Ghana to ensure that anti-corruption strategies and governance systems were enhanced and strengthened.
The Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Dr Joseph Whittal, highlighted the importance of the independence of the judiciary and collaboration among state actors in the fight against corruption.
The Deputy Attorney-General, Justice Srem-Sai, also said that Ghana stood ready to learn, share, and act as she re-examined her own accountability journey.
BY AGNES OPOKU SARPONG & BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY
