President John Dramani Mahama and Sammy Gyamfi
President John Dramani Mahama has pardoned the acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (Goldbod), Sammy Gyamfi, following recent public uproar over a widely circulated video that showed him in a questionable encounter with Evangelist Patricia Oduro, popularly known as Nana Agradaa.
The video, which sparked outrage on social media and in political circles, showed Sammy Gyamfi doling out bundles of U.S. dollars to the controversial religious figure, with critics accusing him of impropriety, violation, and ethical misconduct in public service.
In a press briefing held at the Jubilee House in Accra yesterday, the Presidential Spokesperson and Minister in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, confirmed that the matter has been reviewed at the highest level of government.
He said the Presidency had accepted Sammy Gyamfi’s immediate public apology and opted to issue a formal caution as the final action in the matter.
“In the last few days, there have been some matters relating to the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board, Mr. Sammy Gyamfi, regarding a video that emerged of his interaction with Agradaa,” Mr. Ofosu noted.
He continued, “You would recall that in the immediate aftermath of the incident, Mr. Sammy issued an apology and took on board the public concerns raised over the same.”
According to Mr. Ofosu, a day after the video surfaced, Mr. Gyamfi was summoned by the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, to the Presidency, where he provided his account of what transpired.
He indicated that at the time, President Mahama was out of the country, and was later briefed on the discussion and developments surrounding the incident.
Kwakye Ofosu said upon reviewing the matter, the Presidency determined that the Goldbod CEO’s swift admission of fault and the subsequent apology were in line with the expectations set out in the administration’s Code of Conduct.
“You would recall that when President Mahama launched the Code of Conduct, he stated clearly that one of the remedies for potential breaches was a public apology. He also mentioned that another appropriate remedy could be a formal caution from the highest level of government,” Mr. Ofosu explained.
He added that the Chief of Staff, having acknowledged Mr. Gyamfi’s apology, issued a stern caution and reminded him of the expectations associated with his position as a public servant.
“The Chief of Staff cautioned him, having acknowledged the apology, and impressed upon him to act in ways that reflect public expectation,” he said.
The minister confirmed that with both the apology and the official caution in place, no further disciplinary action would be pursued against Mr. Gyamfi. “The acting CEO of Gold Board has been cautioned, with no further action expected to be meted out to him,” he stated.
He further stressed the Mahama administration’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and ethical governance. “We value feedback. We are aware that Ghanaians expect high standards in the performance of our duties as public servants. We remain committed to meeting these high standards to ensure that we deliver the best governance to our people,” he intimated.
The Presidential Spokesperson noted that Mr. Gyamfi had pledged not to repeat such conduct. “Mr. Sammy Gyamfi has committed to ensuring that such an incident does not recur,” he said.
The incident has sparked wider conversations about the conduct of government officials and their associations, particularly with figures who may be perceived as controversial.
Agradaa, a former fetish priestess turned evangelist, has frequently found herself at the centre of public scrutiny and legal battles, making the optics of the video particularly troubling for many observers.
By Ernest Kofi Adu