Can Mandatory Public Assets Declaration Reduce Corruption In Ghana?

The Ghanaian leader, Nana Akufo Addo - Does he know about how corruption has soured Ghana's image abroad?

To win the public’s trust, every Ghanaian leader promises to fight corruption but the fact is corruption is stronger than before. Corruption is hard to see until exposed, everyone has a strong foundation to stand on that he or she is free from corruption. But from every angle, it seems the fight against corruption is not working because of the wrong methods being used in Ghana.

An ever-growing number of countries have adopted ethics and anti-corruption laws that require public officials to declare their assets and income before or after taking government positions.

As I know, under Ghana’s constitution, every politician has to declare his or her assets but it seems the ‘Asset Declaration Law,’ in Ghana is encouraging corruption instead of to combat corruption.

I agree with Auditor General, Daniel Domelevo’s request for a change in the Asset Declaration laws of Ghana. To declare assets in sealed envelopes is the beginning of the corruption itself. The corrupt will avoid listing many properties which they wouldn’t like Ghanaians to know.

However, it is not a guarantee that assets declaring will stop corruption but it’s one of the tools capable of reducing corruption. Many African presidents have luxurious villas and foreign accounts in the developed countries, processed in the names of their relatives. Such corruptive gain assets can’t be declared.

John Jerry Rawlings is the founding father of the NDC party, yet has revealed that the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration inherited corruption at its worst from the previous Mahama administration. Surprisingly, many Ghanaians aren’t happy about his comment. So how can we fight against corruption in Ghana?

It should be mandatory for all Ghanaian politicians to declare asset publicly before taking office because Ghana is now known to be one of the most corruptible nations on earth. All those greedy, power-thirsty politicians creating difficulties for the common Ghanaians, night will turn to a day when their cups are full. Corruption now in Ghana stinks more than the stagnant choked gutters.