The president has shown strength in fighting corruption - Ofori-Atta jumps to defense of Akufo-Addo

Ken Ofori-Atta, the minister-designate for Finance, has offered defense to the credibility of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo especially in the fight against corruption in the country.

According to the minister-nominee, this has been confirmed by the efforts made by the president in uplifting the living conditions of Ghanaians, stressing that lives have been made better.

“The President [Nana Akufo-Addo] has been strong in fighting corruption. His instruction has led to increases in our allocations to all governance institutions, and they have testified to that. We have also been firm in protecting the public purse.

“For the past four years, we have together embarked on a journey in which we said we had two fishes and five loaves of bread, but the economy has grown. Social protection has increased for the vulnerable in our society and the conditions of people I believe have been made better,” he said when he appeared before Appointments Committee of Parliament on Friday, March 26, 2021.

Ken Ofori-Atta had been out of the country since January seeking further medical treatment after he suffered from the novel coronavirus last year, a statement from the ministry had stated.

On his return to the country this past Sunday, he appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Thursday and then again Friday in what has been the first of any such vetting that has spanned more than a day.

Ken Ofori-Atta told the Committee that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s zero tolerance for corruption has been put to question by opposition parties and civil society organizations as well as it being a topical issue in the country following the resignation of the Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, and the forced retirement of the Auditor General, Daniel Yao Domelevo, reports citinewsroom.com.

Earlier, Prof. Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi, the co-founder and Executive Director of Afrobarometer, had taken on the president over the retirement of former Auditor-General, Daniel Yao Domelevo.

This follows what was a public tussle and trade of words between the Office of the President and Daniel Yao Domelevo, with the latter being supported strongly by many individuals, institutions and especially a Coalition of Civil Society Organizations against Corruption led by Prof. Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi.

“As for the President’s credibility in terms of anti-corruption, I am afraid to say it is in tatters. It has been in tatters for a while but this puts a nail in the coffin. I see Domelevo as a victim of well-orchestrated actions by individuals who are [government] officials and by state institutions,” Prof. Gyimah-Boadi said.

Subsequently, the Office of the President served a response to the statements by the Coalition.

“It is, thus, very disappointing to hear a very senior and otherwise distinguished member of civil society make such loose and thoughtless statements like the President’s credibility on anti-corruption is in ‘tatters’ and ‘has been in tatters for a while,' and that the compulsory retirement of Mr. Domelevo puts the nail in the coffin of the President’s credibility. Such statements are not based on facts and driven likely by emotions.

“The fact is that the President’s credibility on anti-corruption is unmatched and no amount of misconceived opinions can change that”, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo insisted in a statement issued in his name by Nana Bediatuo Asante, his Executive Secretary.