Vice-President advocates Unexplained Wealth Orders to fight graft

The country needs to adopt the Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) across all facets of society as a critical tool in the fight against corruption.

The Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, who made the call, said the UWO, a legal tool used to investigate and recover assets suspected to have been acquired through illicit means, such as corruption or money laundering, was necessary to expand the anti-corruption fights beyond public and civil servants to all across every sector.

Speaking in Accra yesterday at the Africa Union High-level Conference which focused on Ghana’s Anti-Corruption Architecture, the Vice-President stressed the need to legislate unexplained wealth orders, extend their application to both public officials and private citizens, while anchoring the principle of reverse burden of proof in the Constitution.

Again, she called for the need to strengthen the asset declaration regime beyond mere compliance to full scrutiny beyond mere submission.

“We must ensure sustainable financing for anti-corruption institutions to reduce political influence and enhance their independence.

“The financing of political parties and national elections must be regulated through comprehensive legislation that addresses both internal party leadership selection and national campaign funding,” Prof. Opoku-Agyemang added.

Conference

The conference was organised by the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption (AUABC), a specialised organ of the African Union established in 2009 to promote and enhance the implementation of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC).

It was held on the theme: Revitalising the Anti-Corruption Architecture in Africa: Ghana’s Accountability Journey”.

The conference was also to commemorate two decades of AUCPCC.

Present at the conference were the Chairperson of AUABC, Seynabou Ndiaye Diakhaté, the Commissioner of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Joseph Whittal, a board member for AUABC, Yvonne Mutepuka Chibiya; the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng; the Chief of Staff at the Office of the Vice-President, Alex Segbefia; ministers of state, a lawyer and anti-graft campaigner, Oliver Barker-Vormawor; members of the diplomatic corps, the clergy and representatives from the security services, among others. 

Foundations

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said the country had positioned itself as a pioneer in Africa's anti-corruption efforts, adding that the country was one of the first nations to ratify AUCPCC in 2007 and submitted one of the first baseline reports to the AUABC.

“The first National Anti-Corruption Action Plan, which guided our efforts from 2015 to 2024, showed our commitment to coordinated, strategic anti-corruption activities. As we develop NACAP 2, we are building on lessons learned and adapting to emerging challenges,” the Vice-President said.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said in spite of the gains, the country’s performance on key anti-corruption indicators had stagnated and declined.

Citing data from the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index and the 2022 Ghana Statistical Service Corruption Report, she said the country lost over GH¢5 billion to bribery alone in one year.

“Citizens continue to express concerns over weak enforcement, political interference and the lack of systemic deterrence. These concerns reflect not just dissatisfaction, but an expectation that Ghana can and must do better,” she added.

Commitment

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang commended President John Dramani Mahama for his commitment to revitalising the country’s anti-corruption architecture.

She said the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) was an effort to send a clear message that corruption would not be tolerated going forward.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said the launch of a comprehensive code of conduct for all presidential appointees established clear ethical standards from the highest levels of government.

“The Conduct of Public Officers Bill will soon be laid in parliament.

The revised Conduct of Public Officers Bill will onboard the views of civil society organisations (CSOs), anti-corruption institutions, the media, academia, the international community, and all relevant stakeholders to ensure that this bill stands the test of time,” she said.

The Vice-President also lauded the appointment of a Presidential Advisor on National Anti-Corruption Programme, a strategic approach since 1992, to coordinate inter-agency cooperation and legislative reform. 

Cooperation

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang lauded the AUABC's non-adversarial review model, which, she said, created an environment conducive to honest self-assessment, peer learning and technical cooperation over punitive measures.

She said the country was committed to implementing AUABC's recommendations through regular progress reviews and collaborative engagement.

Vice-President Opoku-Agyemang called for broader civic education and the creation of more accessible channels for reporting corruption.

“No anti-corruption architecture can succeed without active citizen engagement. Civil society organisations, investigative journalists and ordinary citizens are our partners in this fight,” she said.

She acknowledged the gains made through the Right to Information Act, adding that more needed to be done to ensure the public knew their rights and how to hold authorities accountable.

Highlighting the critical role of young people, the Vice-President described Africa’s youth as the continent’s greatest asset, noting that their familiarity with technology presented a powerful tool in the transparency and accountability agenda.

“We must create platforms for meaningful youth participation in anti-corruption efforts,” Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said.

“Ghana's economic recovery and long-term prosperity depend on our ability to demonstrate that we are reliable stewards of public resources.

International investors, development partners and our own citizens need confidence that their contributions will be used effectively and transparently,” the Vice-President said.

Teamwork

For his part, the Commissioner of CHRAJ called for strengthened national, regional and international collaboration in the fight against corruption across Africa, emphasising that no single institution or country could tackle the scourge alone.

Mr Whittal said that CHRAJ’s mandate, created under the 1992 Constitution, reflected the complex interplay between human rights and anti-corruption efforts, saying, “Our fight against corruption must take into cognisance individual liberties and freedoms, especially in view of some of the excesses that occurred under military rule.”

The Commissioner also reiterated the importance of an independent and impartial judiciary.

He emphasised that NACAP was built on three key pillars – prevention, education and capacity-building, and deterrence through investigations and prosecution.

“These are our building blocks. Our experience has shown that no single institution can successfully fight corruption alone,” Mr Whittal said.

A Board Member of AUABC, Yvonne Mutepuka Chibiya, commended the government and the people of Ghana for their commitment in strengthening national accountability frameworks and for hosting the timely dialogue.

She also commended the government for opening its doors to transparent and constructive dialogue and for its commitment to the State Party Review Mission conducted under the AUCPCC.

“At the AUABC, we view this conference as part of the broader continental momentum to reinvigorate anti-corruption strategies in line with the convention to which Ghana ratified in 2007 and has committed to domesticate and implement,” she added.

Ms Chibiya said Ghana's willingness to undergo the technical, non-intrusive and impartial process demonstrated commendable leadership in Africa's fight against corruption.

“The review process, I must emphasise, does not rank or reprimand. Rather, it helps to identify promising practices, legal and institutional gaps, as well as opportunities for improvement,” she stated.

Ms Chibiya explained that the process was to strengthen partnerships, as well as reinforce the shared mandate to promote good governance across the continent.

“We have gathered a lot from the five days we have been in Ghana.

The insights from Ghana's review mission will inform not just national reforms, but regional strategies,” the AUABC board member said.