BY: GODFRED ANKU KAALI
The Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, GACC, with funding from the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa, GIABA, has held a one-day sensitisation workshop for selected journalists and civil society organizations, CSOs, in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional capital.
The sensitisation workshop under the theme “Building Political Will and Public Support for Asset Recovery in Ghana.”, seeks to enhance public understanding and mobilize support—especially from civil society and the media—to promote effective asset recovery mechanisms in the country. Participants were taken through Ghana’s legal and institutional frameworks for recovering proceeds of crime, including how existing structures work to trace, seize, and manage illegally acquired assets.
The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at the GACC, Solomon Nyankah, stated that the workshop was designed to equip the media with the necessary understanding to better educate the public on Ghana’s asset recovery regime. Mr. Nyankah urged CSOs to collaborate with the GACC and advocate for reforms to enhance Ghana’s asset recovery regime.
“Engaging the media through this workshop is important because they have the platform to educate the public about asset recovery and the institutions responsible for it. We are also expecting the CSOs to form collaborations with us and advocate for the right changes and reforms to strengthen asset recovery and management in Ghana,” he said.
A representative from the Financial Intelligence Centre, FIC, Esther Peprah Asamoah, observed that the FIC is not an investigative body but rather collects and analyzes information from institutions and forward it to law enforcement agencies for action. She urged the media and CSOs to help combat corruption in Ghana.
“The media is very important in the fight against corruption. You are on the airwaves, people listen to you and read your articles. The law enforcement agencies alone cannot fight corruption in the country, the media and civil society organizations must help in the fight.”, she said.
A representative from the Economic and Organised Crime Office, EOCO, Lawyer Emmanuel Dzakpata, noted that plans are underway to replace the current EOCO Act with a new one. He highlighted some of the provisions expected to be introduced in the new legislation.
“We are working to repeal the EOCO Act with a new one. We have introduced some interventions to improve the conditions of service of workers. The new Act will ensure that we are entitled to a percentage of the recoveries we make so that we can use it to do more work.”, he said.
He added that they have introduced a provision in the new Act that allows for the investigation and subsequent prosecution of deceased persons upon the discovery that they were involved in crime.
The sensitisation workshop provided a platform for key stakeholders to share insights and promote collaboration in the fight against corruption and the recovery of state assets.
