The Executive Director of Transparency International Ghana, Mary Awelana Addah, has called for the implementation of lifestyle audits for public officials, following widespread criticism over a cash donation made by the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi.
A video that surfaced on social media showed Gyamfi handing over an undisclosed amount of dollars to former fetish priestess-turned-evangelist Patricia Oduro Koranteng, popularly known as Nana Agradaa, during a public event. The donation sparked public backlash, with many questioning the appropriateness of the act due to Agradaa’s controversial past.
In response, Sammy Gyamfi issued a public apology, stating that the donation was a private gesture and not intended for public attention.
Speaking on Channel One Newsroom with Charles Owusu-Kumi on Sunday, May 11, Mary Addah criticised the public’s tendency to celebrate public officials who make large donations without questioning the sources of their wealth.
“We tend to criminalise and also speak against those who are given gifts. We tend to talk about those who receive them and we contextualise them as bribes. And we criminalise those because they are not acceptable.
“But then, we see these same public officers engaging in some of these behaviours in many spheres of society, and they are applauded. We see them go into our churches, and they give big donations. And the prayers are even different in many instances. We also see them at funerals donating big sums. But we don’t do much with them. Because we accept these when they are given to us as donations, without questioning the source.”
She emphasised that this incident presents an opportunity for a broader conversation about accountability and the financial conduct of public officers.
“For me, without a doubt, this is an opportunity for us to think about the issue of lifestyle audits to be able to determine where these monies public officers are giving to individuals out there, where is the source, where is it coming from? she asked.
V/R: Kpalime Dugah residents rely on underground water for survival
