Our Children Are Watching: Ban Money Laundering Promoters from TV
Ghana’s television screens should be building the nation. Instead, they are being turned into stages for fraudsters to promote scams, fake investments, and money laundering.
His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, must act now. We need a law to ban all individuals involved in fraud and money laundering from appearing on TV channels to promote themselves
The Problem
Every day, people with questionable sources of wealth are given airtime to sell "miracle money", fake forex, crypto schemes, and lifeclass branding. These shows air when children are sitting with their parents after school and in the evenings.
This sends one message to our children: _“Crime pays, and TV will make you famous for it.”
How Children Are Copying This
• Role Models Gone Wrong: Children see these people dressed well, driving big cars, and being called "boss" on TV. They start to admire them more than teachers, doctors, or hardworking parents.
• Copycat Behavior: In schools in Accra, Kumasi, and Tema, we now hear of "sakawa boys" and "yahoo" being used as slang. Some JHS and SHS students are already trying phone scams, online fraud, and deceit because "that’s what the TV man does."
• Distorted Values: Children are learning that hard work is slow, but fraud is fast. They begin to chase quick money instead of education and skills.
The Consequences If We Do Nothing
• A Generation of Fraudsters: If we allow this to continue, we will raise a generation that sees crime as a career path.
• More Money Laundering: TV gives criminals legitimacy. Dirty money becomes "business money" in the eyes of the public and banks.
• Breakdown of Families: Parents lose authority when children respect a TV fraudster more than their own guardians.
• Damage to Ghana’s Image: Internationally, Ghana is already fighting the "sakawa" and scam reputation. Airing these people worsens it and scares away real investors.
• Victims Keep Increasing: Elderly people, market women, and young graduates keep losing their savings to schemes promoted on TV.
What The Law Must Do
Under President Mahama’s leadership, Parliament should urgently pass a law that:
• Bans and Blacklists any person charged or convicted of fraud, money laundering, or cybercrime from TV and radio promotions.
•Fines and Sanctions TV Stations that air such persons. Repeat offenders should risk suspension of broadcast license.
• Child Protection Hours: No "get-rich-quick" or financial promotion shows between 6am - 10pm without a warning and adult supervision notice.
• Public Awareness Campaigns to teach children that real success comes from education, skills, and integrity.
Mr. President, our children are watching. What they see on TV today becomes who they become tomorrow. Television should inspire engineers, farmers, nurses, and entrepreneurs — not fraudsters. The time to ban these individuals from our TV channels is now.
For the sake of our children. For the sake of Ghana’s future.
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