Corruption fight: Akufo-Addo is a failure – Ishmael Yamson

President Nana Akufo-Addo has not been able to make any significant stride in the fight against corruption, Economist Ishmael Yamson has said.

In his view, the Ghanaian leader has failed in that department.

"If I mark him with the same scheme, probably it will be four out of 10", the retired Chairman & CEO of Unilever Ghana, rated the president corruption fight.

He said that was a "fail" because "even if you, yourself, as an individual, have not dipped your hands into the state coffers, what about all your followers and what have you done about them?"

Citing an example to back his assertion, Dr Yamson said he was disappointed with the president’s comments regarding the money scandal involving one of his ministers, Cecilia Dapaah, whomlater resigned and currently being probed for corruption and corruption-related offences after huge sums of money in dollars, euros and cedis were stolen from her private house by maids and a lot more discovered by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

"My greatest disappointment was when recently we had a case about a Minister who had so much money in her home, and the President said he hoped her integrity would be proven in the end. Why would the President even get involved in this when there are state agencies handling the matter?" Dr Yamson asked.

"If you are our leader and you say you trust the person, how do you expect the people following you to go and say the person cannot be trusted; it's not possible. I don't think he [President Akufo-Addo] has been able to stamp down corruption in this country; he hasn't", Dr Yamson insisted.

He explained: "Because, if he has, then all the scandals that come up day after day, why hasn't he taken firm action to deal with all those things and stop them? Why isn't any of his people who have been found culpable not in jail?".

He noted: "Every leader in this country, by the time he leaves office, Ghana is bankrupt because the leader has been very corrupt. And I am not afraid to talk about this because it's the reality", he told said.

"... For as long as we have leaders who have come into office indebted to people and they have to pay them back, I'm sorry. I am painting too bleak a picture, but it's the reality", Dr Yamson told Joy News.