Alive Ghana
The Transition Team of Ghana’s President-Elect, John Dramani Mahama, has established a dedicated team to advance his anti-corruption agenda ahead of his swearing-in.
This initiative aims to deliver on his campaign promise to “recover proceeds of corruption and hold persons responsible for such corruption accountable.”
In a press statement issued by the Transition Team, it was announced that “a Team has been set up to receive and gather information from members of the public and other sources on suspected acts of corruption.”
The team is chaired by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and includes prominent figures with expertise in auditing, law enforcement, and investigative reporting:
- Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa – Chairman
- Mr. Daniel Domelevo: Former Auditor-General
- COP (Rtd.) Nathaniel Kofi Boakye: Retired Police Commissioner
- Mr. Martin Kpebu: Private Legal Practitioner
- Mr. Raymond Archer: Investigative Journalist
Anti-corruption efforts, particularly through the initiative titled Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), formed “a core part of H.E. John Mahama’s policy platform in the 2024 campaign.” The Transition Team emphasized that he “intends to hit the ground running on these commitments.”
Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the spokesperson for the Transition Team, reiterated the President-Elect’s resolve to tackle corruption head-on, signaling a robust approach to accountability under the new administration.
What is ORAL?
Speaking at a Governance Forum in Accra in October this year, Mr. Mahama pledged to investigate and prosecute corrupt officials, leveraging the expertise of both local and foreign investigators to achieve desired results.
He said his plan to root out corruption includes legislation that prohibits political appointees from purchasing state assets, ensuring transparency and accountability.
Additionally, he vowed to establish a state assets registrar to efficiently handle corruption-related cases.
“I’m affirming my commitment to root out the canker of corruption. One of our tools to combat corruption, and make it a high-risk endeavour for any person, Operation Recover All the Loot, will investigate, and prosecute the persons involved in corruption, using both local and foreign expertise to achieve this objective,” Mr. Mahama said.
“Closely linked to ORAL will be legislation to prohibit political appointees, politically exposed persons and all serving public officials from purchasing state assets. We shall address the detrimental phenomena of state capture by establishing a state asset registrar.
