OSP issues stern warning on Ghana's anti-corruption fight

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has issued a stern warning that Ghana’s fight against corruption could fail unless urgent reforms are implemented.

In its 2025 Half Yearly Report, the office threw its weight behind recommendations by the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) for an independent anti-corruption body with separate investigative and prosecutorial powers.

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According to Kissi Agyebeng, the CRC’s proposal offers a more credible and sustainable pathway to effectively fight corruption in the country.

He stressed that the existing institutional framework remains vulnerable to political control and resource limitations.

“If the nation sincerely desires to meaningfully fight corruption, we should embrace and implement the recommendation by the Constitution Review Commission of the creation of an independent institution firmly grounded and boarded-up in the Constitution with exclusive authority to investigate and prosecute corruption-related offences to take over or merge with the OSP and to be independent of political control and have prosecutorial powers separate from the Attorney General and Minister of Justice and also cladded with enhanced powers and the assurance of full resources,” the OSP stated in its 2025 Half Yearly Report.

The OSP emphasised that any approach that falls short of these recommendations would undermine the credibility of Ghana’s anti-corruption agenda and weaken public confidence in state institutions tasked with fighting corruption.

“Any drive short of this would render the fight against corruption illusory,” he added.

Background

The Constitution Review Committee, as part of its proposed reforms, recommended the creation of a standalone Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to strengthen Ghana’s anti-corruption architecture.

They argued that the recommendation seeks to rationalise the roles of existing anti-corruption institutions and improve efficiency in the fight against corruption.

The report noted that the current system places an undue burden on the Office of the Attorney General, which he said undermines its capacity to adequately handle other major constitutional and international legal responsibilities.

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It explained that the proposed commission would consolidate anti-corruption responsibilities currently spread across bodies such as the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), and related institutions, to ensure better coordination and clearer accountability.

MAG/AE

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