Ghana’s Special Prosecutor, Mr. Kissi Agyebeng, has called for sweeping reforms to fortify the country’s asset declaration regime, stressing the urgent need to shift from symbolic compliance to robust verification and enforcement.
Speaking at the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption (AUABC) conference held in Accra over the weekend, Mr. Agyebeng proposed the establishment of a comprehensive asset tracing and verification system to hold public officials accountable. The conference, themed “Revitalising the Anti-Corruption Architecture in Africa: Ghana’s Accountability Journey,” brought together key stakeholders and policymakers committed to tackling systemic corruption.
The call comes amid renewed scrutiny of Ghana’s transparency structures, following President John Dramani Mahama’s recent directive for public officials to declare their assets by May 6, 2025. The President also sanctioned some non-compliant officials with a three-month salary forfeiture—donated to the Ghana Medical Trust Fund—after media reports revealed that at least 55 officials had failed to comply.
While civil society organisations continue to push for public access to asset declarations, Mr. Agyebeng cautioned against full disclosure. He argued that exposing such details could subject public officials to undue pressure or threats, and instead recommended a targeted publication of defaulters—those who fail to declare—as a middle ground that would still uphold the integrity of the process.
“We should not merely collect documents; we must build systems that can verify and trace the sources of declared and undeclared assets,” he said. “Publication of compliance status—not the actual content—can strike a balance between transparency and security.”
Beyond legal reforms, the Special Prosecutor called for ethical reorientation across all levels of education, warning that a culture which glorifies wealth without scrutiny fosters corruption. He stressed the importance of changing societal values that idolize ill-gotten riches.
He also advocated for constitutional amendments to allow lifestyle audits and the confiscation of assets that cannot be justified by legitimate income. According to him, such provisions would close current loopholes in the accountability regime and serve as a deterrent to public sector corruption.
Mr. Agyebeng emphasized that Ghana must not only respond to corruption with reactive enforcement but must institutionalize a culture of integrity and proactive accountability across government and society.
“We must rewrite the narrative. Anti-corruption reform is not just a policy agenda—it is a national imperative,” he concluded.
