The Institute of Economic Research and Public Policy (IERPP) has questioned President John Dramani Mahama’s commitment and intent to fight corruption in his administration.
The policy think tank raised concerns over what it described as a contradiction in the Mahama Government’s anti-corruption stance.
This follows Parliament’s passage of the Governance Advisory Council bill and the simultaneous rejection of a motion to probe alleged financial losses at GoldBod.
On Friday, March 27, 2026, Parliament approved the establishment of the Governance Advisory Council, an independent body tasked with bolstering accountability, combating corruption, and safeguarding human rights.
The Council is expected to strengthen oversight and ensure duty bearers remain answerable for their stewardship.
However, on the same day, the Majority side in Parliament voted against a Minority motion to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate alleged $214 million losses at GoldBod under the Gold-for-Reserves scheme.
In a statement, IERPP described the two developments as conflicting and questioned the government’s sincerity in fighting corruption.
“Why set up an anti-corruption agency while shielding GoldBod at the same time?” the Institute queried in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Prof. Isaac Boadi.
The Institute argued that the government’s actions undermine the credibility of the newly established Governance Advisory Council.
“The signal the President Mahama Government is sending out is that the establishment of the Governing Council is of little use to the fight against corruption. Government’s claims of fighting corruption are at loggerheads with the realities on the ground,” it added.
IERPP further accused the administration of wasting resources on anti-corruption outfits that lack independence.
“The Governance Council becomes superfluous if the likes of GoldBod will be shielded from accountability by the same Government,” the statement emphasised.
It asked: “Why is GoldBod being protected from scrutiny? Why is the Government hindering efforts to investigate the $214 million losses in GoldBod’s trading activities? What infractions have been committed by GoldBod managers that the Government is reluctant to expose?”
The statement further warned that using the parliamentary majority to block investigations sends a worrying signal about the government’s commitment to transparency.
“President Mahama is not walking his talk as far as the fight against corruption is concerned.”
