John Dramani Mahama, New Ghanaian President, Aims to Recover Mismanaged Public Funds
In a significant step towards kicking off his presidential duties, John Dramani Mahama, the newly elected president of Ghana, has appointed a task force to trace and recover all misappropriated public funds in the country over the past years. The decision was announced on Wednesday, December 18, by Mahama’s team through an official statement.
Mahama, the leader of the opposition’s National Democratic Congress (NDC), had promised during his presidential campaign to prioritize fighting corruption once he assumed office.
The five-member committee comprises Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a parliamentarian, Daniel Domelevo, a former auditor-general, Nathaniel Kofi Boakye, a retired police chief, Martin Kpebu, a jurist, and Raymond Archer, an investigative journalist. The team is tasked with recovering misappropriated funds and assets, as well as holding accountable the individuals responsible.
Emmanuel Wilson Junior, a lawyer and corruption-fighting advocate from the Crusaders Against Corruption association, congratulated Mahama’s initiative and urged the new administration to act swiftly. "Ghanaians are tired of corruption being swept under the carpet," Wilson told Agence France-Presse (AFP). "We expect this team to be proactive and take responsibility."
Mahama’s announcement comes at a time of intensifying public frustration amidst widespread corruption scandals during the eight-year tenure of outgoing president Nana Akufo-Addo. Earlier in September, a joint protest by civil society activists and opposition members was staged outside the Ministry of Finance, protesting the government’s alleged flagrant financial mismanagement.
John Dramani Mahama will be officially inaugurated as president on January 7, 2025.
