Ministers who fail to declare assets by Wednesday to be sacked: Mahama

Ghana's president on Monday said he sanctioned over 40 of his ministers and appointees for failing to declare their assets, as the country's new leader continues with an anti-corruption drive.

Since his swearing-in in January, President John Mahama has promised a crackdown on graft as he navigates the country's exit from a moribund economy.

In April, authorities charged a former top security official with skimming millions of dollars from a cybersecurity contract.

Monday's move meanwhile was seen as the first major test of Mahama's newly launched code of conduct for government officials.

'Automatic dismissal'

Those found in breach of the asset declaration deadline, which was March 31, must forfeit four months' salary – three as a penalty and one as a mandatory donation to the newly established Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as "Mahama Cares".

"If by close of day on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, any of you still fails to declare your assets, count yourself automatically dismissed," the president said during a speech in Accra.

The new code of conduct applies to all political appointees, including ministers, deputies, presidential staffers and Mahama himself.

Public corruption remains a widespread concern not just in Ghana but the wider region.

Sanctions 'not cosmetic'

Corruption allegations trailed Mahama's previous tenure as president, from 2012 to 2017, although no charges were formally filed against him.

Good governance watchdogs have lauded the move as unprecedented in the country's history.

"This is one of the most comprehensive and enforceable ethical frameworks ever announced by a sitting Ghanaian president," Emmanuel Wilson Jr, an anti-graft advocate with the organisation Crusaders Against Corruption, told AFP.

In his speech, Mahama promised the sanctions "are not cosmetic. They will be enforced. And I will not hesitate to act firmly and decisively, no matter who is involved."

Restrictions on gifts

Key provisions of the code include mandatory asset declarations, the prohibition of conflicts of interest, a ban on appointees purchasing state assets, restrictions on receiving gifts above GHS20,000 ($1,500) and strict approval protocols for official travel.

A public portal is being established to allow citizens to confidentially report violations of the code.

Corruption scandals plagued former president Nana Akufo-Addo's tenure, adding to the fiscal pressures Ghana finds itself under today as it navigates a financial crisis, including the recovery from a 2023 debt default.