Despite President John Mahama’s high-profile commitment to transparency and a clear directive for his appointees to declare their assets, an investigation by The Fourth Estate has uncovered that over 50 senior government officials have failed to comply with the constitutional requirement.
Out of 171 officials appointed between January 15 and March 18, 2025, a staggering 32% have not submitted their asset declarations to the Auditor-General’s Office by the March 31 deadline. The list of defaulters includes nine ministers and deputy ministers, eight presidential staffers, and 37 heads of key state institutions—raising serious concerns about internal accountability and the enforcement of anti-corruption measures in Mahama’s administration.
Prominent names among those who have defied the directive include:
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Seth Terkper, Presidential Adviser on the Economy
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Larry Gbevlo-Lartey, Special Envoy to the Alliance of Sahelian States
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Nathan Kofi Boakye, Director of Operations at the Presidency
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Charles Kipo, Director of the National Investigations Bureau
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Nana Yaa Jantuah, Presidential Staffer
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John Dumelo, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture
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Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui, Deputy Minister of Works and Housing
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Alhassan Suhuyini, Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways
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Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, Commissioner-General, GRA
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Dr. Peter Otukunor, Head of Presidential Initiatives in Agriculture
President Mahama had taken a bold step on February 18, 2025, by personally filing his asset declaration at Jubilee House in front of the Auditor-General, describing it as a signal of his “unmistakable commitment” to accountability. He followed up with a March 31 deadline for all new appointees to follow suit, warning that failure would attract “severe sanctions not excluding removal from office.”
However, the mass non-compliance now casts a shadow over that message. The president’s credibility on anti-corruption is at a critical juncture as the public awaits action on the violators.
Under Article 286 of the 1992 Constitution and the Public Office Holders (Declaration of Assets and Disqualification) Act, 1998 (Act 550), public officers are legally bound to declare their assets upon assumption of office, every four years, and at the end of their tenure.
While Mahama’s rhetoric on transparency and accountability has been strong—calling asset declaration a moral and constitutional obligation—the government’s failure to enforce its own directive could undermine public trust and embolden further disregard for the law.
As Mahama himself declared:
“Charity, they say, begins at home. I am therefore determined that we fight corruption vigorously…”
The question now is: will his government back those words with decisive action?
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