The Mahama administration has received measured commendation for its anti-corruption efforts over its first 18 months in office, but anti-corruption stakeholders are warning that political commitments must now translate into tangible results that ordinary Ghanaians can see and measure.
The assessment was made at a National Anti-Corruption Dialogue organised by the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) on September 10, 2026, at the British Council in Accra. The forum, held under the theme “From Commitment to Delivery: Reviewing the Mahama Administration’s Anti-Corruption Agenda After 18 Months,” brought together anti-corruption practitioners, civil society organisations, journalists, governance experts, and other stakeholders to critically assess government’s performance and identify reforms needed to strengthen Ghana’s anti-corruption architecture .
Progress Acknowledged but Results Demanded
The dialogue commended several measures undertaken by the government, including the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative, the termination of some controversial contracts, and the decision to transfer at least 80 percent of the District Assemblies Common Fund directly to metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies .
However, stakeholders stressed that such measures must translate into results that ordinary Ghanaians can see and measure. Citizens, they said, must see investigations leading to completed cases, public assets recovered, and individuals found culpable facing clear and appropriate consequences .
Special Prosecutor Calls for Constitutional Entrenchment
The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, used the forum to issue a stark warning about the fragility of Ghana’s anti-corruption institutions. While acknowledging that “the government means well” and citing collaboration between the OSP and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in implementing the new National Anti-Corruption Action Plan, Agyebeng cautioned that political goodwill alone would not be enough .
“If we do not write into the Constitution the Office of the Special Prosecutor, however it is called, we are going nowhere,” he warned, calling for the OSP to be entrenched in the 1992 Constitution and granted stronger institutional independence .
Agyebeng also called for financial independence for anti-corruption institutions, arguing that agencies expected to investigate powerful individuals and complex corruption cases could not be effective if they remained heavily dependent on government budgetary allocations. “If you do not grant financial independence and untie these institutions from budgetary restraints, we are going nowhere,” he stated. A funding formula has been proposed and is currently before Parliament .
The Special Prosecutor further advocated for non-conviction-based asset recovery, arguing that requiring the state to secure a criminal conviction before pursuing suspicious assets could weaken the fight. He backed appropriate reverse-onus provisions in unexplained wealth cases and called for lifestyle audits, stressing that such measures must respect constitutional rights and due process .
Investigative Journalist Questions Discontinuation of Cases Involving Political Allies
Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni assessed President Mahama’s performance against the anti-corruption promises contained in the NDC’s 2024 manifesto. Referring to Page 52 of the manifesto, which contains a section titled “Restoring Good Governance and Fighting Corruption,” Awuni noted that of the 12 commitments listed, six specifically concern corruption .
He expressed concern about the discontinuation of some cases involving members or affiliates of the governing party, citing the Saglemi housing project and the COCOBOD fertiliser scandal. He argued that where previous charges were considered defective, government could have ordered fresh investigations and pursued new cases where evidence justified such action .
Awuni warned that discontinuing cases involving political allies could establish a dangerous cycle in which successive governments protect their own while pursuing political opponents. He described the situation as a “very terrible precedent” and argued that “politically controlled state institutions cannot actually fight corruption” .
Background: Ghana’s Stagnant Corruption Score
The dialogue comes against the backdrop of Ghana’s persistently stagnant performance on the Corruption Perceptions Index. Ghana scored 43 out of 100 in the 2025 CPI, maintaining the same score for the sixth consecutive year while falling five places to rank 76th among 182 countries assessed .
Transparency International Ghana noted that while the one-point increase from 42 in 2024 to 43 in 2025 represented marginal improvement, the country has stayed around a score of 43 since 2020, which “does not amount to change under the index methodology” .
A separate poll by Global Info Analytics in June 2026 found that the Ghana Police Service and Ghana Immigration Service remained the top two institutions perceived as most corrupt, while business executives entered the top 10 for the first time. Ministers and government officials, the presidency, and the military were ranked among the least perceived corrupt institutions, though the presidency saw a slight deterioration from 4.77 in March to 4.84 in June 2026 .
OSP’s Prosecutorial Authority Challenged in Court
The anti-corruption landscape has also been complicated by a legal challenge to the OSP’s prosecutorial powers. In April 2026, an Accra High Court ruled that the OSP lacked authorization from the Attorney-General to prosecute cases, ordering the Attorney-General’s Department to take over all criminal prosecutions being handled by the OSP. The ruling voided seven convictions secured by the OSP and required them to be retried .
At the time of the ruling, the OSP was handling over 100 cases, with 33 individuals standing trial, 10 civil proceedings, and 79 ongoing investigations—a total caseload of 161. The office had secured seven convictions .
The Supreme Court subsequently clarified the constitutional basis of the OSP’s prosecutorial mandate, but questions remain about coordination among Ghana’s anti-corruption agencies .
New Anti-Corruption Action Plan Approved
Amid these challenges, Cabinet approved the new National Ethics and Anti-Corruption Action Plan (2026–2036) in June 2026 for onward transmission to Parliament. President Mahama said accountability and the fight against corruption were essential to democratic consolidation, restating his commitment to transparency and accountable governance .
The new plan, which follows the conclusion of the previous National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (2015–2024), places heightened emphasis on ethics, transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement. Stakeholder engagements have been held across the country, including a forum in Kumasi attended by government officials, civil society organisations, traditional leaders, and media representatives .
Edem Senanu, Chairman of the African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption, noted that ethics has been an area Ghana has not accorded sufficient attention. He emphasized that corruption continues to siphon resources from essential sectors such as health, education, and infrastructure, stifling development and exacerbating inequality .
OSP’s Cross-Border Cooperation Yields Conviction
In a notable success for Ghana’s anti-corruption efforts, the OSP disclosed its behind-the-scenes role in assisting the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in securing the conviction of former Goldman Sachs banker Kwaku Asante Berko. Berko, who also served as Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery, was found guilty on August 6, 2026, by a federal jury in Brooklyn for channelling more than $1 million in bribes to Ghanaian government officials between 2014 and 2017 to secure a power plant development contract .
The OSP confirmed it had supplied critical evidence to US investigators through Ghana’s mutual legal assistance framework, describing the verdict as “a testament to the importance of mutual legal assistance.” US authorities formally acknowledged that the OSP provided “significant assistance to this prosecution” .
Deputy Attorney-General Dr Justice Srem Sai confirmed that domestic authorities are actively engaging their US counterparts to widen the net of accountability, signalling that Berko’s conviction may not be the conclusion of Ghana’s domestic response to the scandal .
Compliance Gaps in State-Owned Enterprises
Separately, President Mahama has expressed concern over low compliance with governance and accountability requirements among State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs). Speaking at the SIGA Governing Boards and CEOs Conference on September 10, he revealed that only 72 of the 148 CEOs expected to sign performance contracts had done so. Only 61 entities submitted their audited financial statements by the statutory deadline of April 30, while only 37 of 177 entities expected to hold annual general meetings had met the requirement .
“This administration will not tolerate conflict of interest or abuse of office. Procurement must be lawful and follow the guidelines; it must be competitive and transparent,” Mahama warned, adding that “unauthorized disposal, encroachment, or dissipation of state assets is not a minor administrative lapse. It is a breach of trust against the people of Ghana” .
What Comes Next
The dialogue concluded with recommendations aimed at strengthening accountability, institutional independence, and the prudent use of public resources. At the heart of the discussion was whether the Mahama administration’s anti-corruption initiatives are producing measurable results in preventing corruption, strengthening oversight, recovering public resources, and holding public officials accountable .
For the stakeholders gathered at the British Council, the message was clear: progress has been made, but the journey from political commitment to tangible delivery remains incomplete. As investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni put it, politically controlled state institutions cannot truly fight corruption—a warning that will test the administration’s resolve in the months ahead .
