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Senior Presidential Advisor Yaw Osafo-Maafo is advocating for increased transparency in the declaration of assets by public officials, stressing its pivotal role in enhancing accountability within Ghana’s governance framework.
Osafo-Maafo noted that while current regulations require public officials, including ministers of state and certain public sector personnel, to declare their assets to the auditor general, the lack of transparency in this process undermines accountability.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the existing asset declaration framework, Osafo-Maafo highlighted the confidentiality maintained between the auditor general and individuals, making it challenging for scrutiny and accountability.
“In Ghana, when you become a minister of state or a public sector worker at certain levels, the first step is to declare your assets and submit them to the auditor general. What I personally find problematic about this law is that after the asset declaration, everything remains confidential between the auditor general and the individual, making it difficult for anyone to challenge the accuracy of the declaration,” he stated.
“I believe that assets should be declared, but there should be a certain degree of transparency in the declaration process so that people can evaluate what has been declared through specific procedures.”
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra, Osafo-Maafo highlighted cultural norms around inheritance, which he said were vehemently opposed during the formulation of the Declaration of Assets and Disqualification Act.
“I was involved in consultations for someone when we were drafting the constitution of the republic, and I advocated for the publication of declared assets. However, the chiefs vehemently opposed this idea, fearing retribution if people knew their assets,” he explained.
Source:Omanghana.com
