President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has opened the floodgates for foreign envoys with evidence of corruption against any member of his appointees to report them to his office.
This, he believes, is one of the surest ways to get corrupt officials to face the full rigours of the law.
“Should you (Members of Diplomatic Corps) be notified of any evidence of corruption against any of my appointees, I insist that they be shared with my office to enable action to be taken on the matter; that is better for our relations than unspecified generalized pronouncements on corruption,” he said when he met Members of the Diplomatic Corps at the Peduase Lodge, Presidential Villa, for the annual New Year greetings on Tuesday night.
The occasion offered the diplomats an opportunity to fraternise and exchange pleasantries with the President.
Ongoing Effort
President Akufo-Addo touted his government’s credentials when it comes to the fight against corruption, saying “it is a matter of public record that 21 officials of the previous administration are standing trial over their involvement in alleged acts of corruption or causing financial loss to the state and prosecutions of the persons, that is, the regulators and the individuals responsible for the banking sector crisis, have commenced.”
Apart from that, he said there were ongoing investigations into allegations of corruption levelled against some officials in his own government, some of which have proven untrue and without basis.
PDS Saga
On the PDS saga that became a topical issue in the country last year, the President stressed that “despite self-serving allegations based on deliberate misinformation the actions government took to bring the PDS concession agreement under the Millennium Corporation Contract to an end was to prevent rather than condone wrongdoing.”
Political Will
Even though he admitted to the fact that the war against corruption would not be won over night, he noted “with political will, it will be won.”
“I did not come into politics to enrich myself but to serve the public interest,” he reiterated, adding “I am determined to help build in Ghana a model and culture of transparent, open and accountable governance that will be the equal of any on the face of the planet.”
On her part, the Colombian Ambassador to Ghana who is the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Claudia Turbay Quintero, on behalf of all her colleagues, expressed support for the several social interventions and flagship programmes of the Akufo-Addo government.
She indicated that the Diplomatic Community in Ghana recognizes the importance, impact and successes of the initiatives and it stands ready to support their progress.
Year of Return
She was quick to add that the success story of the “Year of Return” initiative of the government is a testament of the tourism potential of Ghana and that the Diplomatic Community is fully persuaded that during the new initiative of “Beyond the Return”, Ghana will reap the benefits of its tourism potential.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, recounted the progress made last year as far as the working relationship with the Diplomatic Community was concerned.
She pledged the commitment of the Foreign Ministry to do everything within its power to assist the Diplomatic Community in Ghana as they go about their duties.
“Last year, the ministry started a regular briefing session for Members of the Diplomatic Corps aimed at providing Foreign Missions in Ghana with credible, accurate and reliable information on government policies, programmes and emerging socio-economic and political developments in the country. The last of these briefings featured Ministers for Finance, National Security, Information, the Interior, Energy, and my good self. At the event, all of us took turns to address issues pertaining to our respective areas of competence. In view of the high patronage and interest shown by the Diplomatic Corps in this exercise, the ministry has now institutionalized these regular briefing sessions. Going forward, therefore, the ministry would work in close partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations–Ghana towards enriching the programme,” Ms. Botchwey said.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent