Fast track passage of Conduct of Public Officers’ Bill passage — GACC

To aid in the battle against corruption in Ghana, the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) has urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to expedite the procedure for the passage of the Conduct of Public Officers Bill.

President Akufo-Addo announced at the Ghana Bar Association conference on Monday that the government was working to pass the Conduct of Public Officers Bill.

The President indicated that the Attorney-General had held numerous stakeholder consultations with a number of public sector organizations, civil society, and others.

He made the announcement while kicking off the 2023 Bar Conference of the Ghana Bar Association.

Responding to the announcement during an appearance on the Ghana News Agency-Tema Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue platform on corruption, Mrs. Beauty Emefa Narteh, the Executive Secretary of the GACC, said the President must provide Ghanaians the timescale for the enactment.

The bill, according to Mrs. Narteh, has been pending for some time since successive administrations have failed to enact it into law.

She also expressed concern at the President's declaration that the proposed bill would now be presented to the cabinet.

She noted that the public was informed that the bill was already in front of the cabinet; as a result, the president's denials confused the civil society organizations working for its passage.

She stated that since he extensively campaigned on it as a presidential candidate, it would be an indictment on him if the bill was not passed before the conclusion of the president's term.

She continued by saying that the President's commitment to fighting corruption in Ghana would be demonstrated if the bill could be passed in addition to other measures, as opposed to just giving the subject lip attention as is increasingly common.

The President stated that in addressing concerns about financial portfolios held by public officers prior to taking office, the bill would follow precedents set by other countries, including the United States Ethics in Government Act of 1978, the Public Officers Ethics Act of Kenya of 2003, and the United Kingdom Constitutional and Governance Act of 2010.

When the bill becomes law, it would also address issues like public officials' ties to family businesses, improper enrichment, the care of public property, professional conduct, ownership of real estate, investments, and other assets, self-dealing, partiality in the performance of duties, and the use of private information for personal gain.