Ghana Must Reclaim Leadership in Accountability Fight-Vice President

At a high-level conference on Ghana’s anti-corruption architecture, Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang issued a clarion call for urgent, collective action to revitalize Ghana's fight against corruption. Speaking under the theme “Revitalizing the Anti-Corruption Architecture in Africa: Ghana’s Accountability Journey”, she outlined a bold, multi-pronged path forward and praised Ghana’s foundational efforts, while also acknowledging the nation's recent decline on key global and local governance indicators.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang reminded participants that Ghana was among the first African nations to ratify the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption in 2007. Ghana also submitted the first baseline report to the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption (AU ABC), a sign of early leadership in the fight against graft.

“We have the 1992 Constitution, key legislation like the Whistleblowers Act, the Right to Information Act, and the Office of the Special Prosecutor,” she said. “Yet despite these strong institutional foundations, performance on corruption indicators has stagnated—and in some cases worsened.”

Citing alarming findings from the Ghana Statistical Service, the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, and the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, the Vice President noted that nearly GH₵5 billion was lost to bribery in one year alone. She added that the IMF had assessed Ghana's corruption control as having deteriorated over the last decade.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang praised President John Dramani Mahama’s renewed leadership through initiatives like Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), the development of a comprehensive Code of Conduct for presidential appointees, and the appointment of a Presidential Adviser on the National Anti-Corruption Programme—the first of its kind since 1992.

She outlined five pillars anchoring the revitalization agenda:

• Strengthening cooperation between anti-corruption agencies
• Partnering with SIGA to ensure public sector integrity
• Pursuing legislative and policy reforms
• Supporting the Attorney General in handling corruption complaints
• Reassuring both domestic and international partners through visible action

Among the urgent reforms proposed are unexplained wealth orders, constitutional amendments for a reverse burden of proof, stakeholder consultations on the revised Conduct of Public Officers Bill, and regulations on political party and campaign financing.

Equally, the Vice President emphasized the role of civil society, investigative journalists, and the youth. “Where are the youth? I’m glad you are here. You are Africa’s greatest asset,” she said, encouraging young people to use technology to drive transparency and accountability.

She concluded with a passionate appeal for unity, cross-border collaboration, and sustained civic engagement: “Corruption is a choice—and so is the fight against it. Let’s choose to build the Africa our children deserve.”