Mary Awelana Addah, Executive Director of Transparency International Ghana
Mary Awelana Addah, the Executive Director of Transparency International Ghana, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to act decisively in response to the escalating controversy surrounding a monetary donation given to fetish priestess turned evangelist, Patricia Oduro Koranteng, also known as Nana Agradaa, by Sammy Gyamfi, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod).
Her remarks come after a video of Sammy Gyamfi giving Nana Agradaa an undisclosed amount of money possibly in dollars, during a public function went viral on social media.
Sammy Gyamfi responded to the criticism by apologizing in public and clarifying that the donation was a private gesture of goodwill that was never meant for public consumption.
Mary Addah, however, contended on Sunday, May 11, in an interview with Charles Owusu-Kumi on Channel One’s Newsroom, that the episode underscores the pressing need for more robust accountability frameworks for public officials.
“I believe that certainly, this is an opportunity for the President to demonstrate above and beyond that he means business by putting in place this Code of Conduct. We have had occasion to say that we would also want to see the Conduct of Public Officers passed, so that some of these behaviours can be criminalised,” she is quoted by citinewsroom.com as saying.
She reaffirmed her demand that the Conduct of Public Officers Bill be passed, arguing that it would strengthen the standards for public service and help make unethical behavior illegal.
“In this instance, if you go to even the Code of Conduct, you do not see a lot of punitive measures that would be in place to support whatever it is that this gentleman has been cited for,” she noted.
Mary Addah also urged the president to issue a strict decree, specifically targeting public officials who have not yet disclosed their holdings, and to move beyond symbolism.
“This is a call on the President to perhaps issue a stern warning to those who have not declared their assets to do so. That, for me, shows commitment, a little not just for the optics,” she said.
KA
