Public officers’ asset declarations must be verified – Dr. Akwetey

Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey, Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), has stressed the need for stringent mechanisms to verify the declared assets of public officers to enhance transparency and accountability in governance.

Speaking at the National Economic Dialogue, Dr. Akwetey commended former President John Dramani Mahama for setting a precedent by publicly declaring his assets. However, he emphasized that asset declarations alone are insufficient and called for a verification process to be conducted by the Auditor-General.

“There is also the need for verification of declared assets by the Auditor General. The president has set the standard, he is the first person to announce that he declared his assets, and we all saw it on TV,” he noted.

Dr. Akwetey further urged all public officers to follow Mahama’s example, advocating for greater transparency in asset declarations. However, he questioned whether such declarations would be made publicly accessible for assessment by the citizens they serve.

“But we think that all public officers should do the same. However, it is not clear whether this will be made public. So that the assessment can be done also by the citizens they are representing in the high offices of state,” he added.

Beyond asset verification, Dr. Akwetey called for reforms to separate parliamentary functions from the executive branch to enhance checks and balances. He expressed concerns about the dominance of the governing party in parliament, warning that a lack of political consensus could deepen divisions and hinder constitutional reforms.

“It is essential to decouple parliamentary functions from the executive branch to promote checks and balances in governance. But we have a situation where this time, the governing party has the greatest majority,” he stated.

“With the governing party having almost absolute majority to push the agenda to push reforms, it could do it its way. That could end up intensifying division. Constitutional reforms require consensus even if it will not be entrenched,” he cautioned.

Dr. Akwetey’s remarks underscore the need for institutional reforms to strengthen democracy, ensure transparency, and foster inclusive governance in Ghana.