President John Mahama has directed that four months’ salary of appointees who defaulted in declaring their assets be donated to the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (Mahama Cares) as a sanction.
The directive was announced by Minister of State for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), where he outlined the President’s decision.
“President Mahama sanctions appointees who defaulted on asset declaration by 31st March.
They are to forfeit 4 months’ salary and donate same to the Ghana Medical Trust Fund,” he wrote.
These sanctions fulfill President Mahama’s warning issued on February 18, 2025, in which he set a deadline of March 31, 2025, for all his appointees to declare their assets. He had cautioned that failure to comply could result in dismissal, after he himself declared his assets and liabilities in accordance with Article 286 of the 1992 Constitution.
The move comes in response to growing public pressure, particularly from former Auditor-General Daniel Yaw Domelevo, who called for the outright dismissal of defaulting appointees.
According to an analysis by The Fourth Estate, 55 government officials—including ministers, deputy ministers, presidential staffers, and heads of state institutions—missed the declaration deadline despite the President’s stern warning.
Among the defaulters were eight of 55 ministers and deputy ministers, eight of 32 presidential staffers, and 38 of 84 heads of institutions appointed between January 15 and March 18, 2025. As of April 17, 2025, they had not complied.
High-profile defaulters include Seth Terkper, Presidential Adviser on the Economy; Larry Gbevlo-Lartey, Special Envoy to the Alliance of Sahelian States; Nathan Kofi Boakye, Director of Operations at the Presidency; Charles Kipo, Director of the National Investigations Bureau; Nana Yaa Jantuah, Presidential Staffer; Alhassan Suhuyini, Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways; Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui, Deputy Minister of Works and Housing; and John Setor Dumelo, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture.
However, The Fourth Estate later published a rejoinder on its X account correcting an earlier error that implicated Dr. Adam Bonaa, Executive Secretary of the Small Arms and Light Weapons Commission, and Brogya Genfi, Deputy Defence Minister, stating:
“In an earlier version of this story, we inadvertently reported that Dr. Adam Bonaa, the Executive Secretary of the Small Arms and Light Weapons Commission, and Brogya Genfi, the Deputy Defence Minister, did not declare their assets and liabilities. We deeply regret the error.” They stated.
Though Ayawaso West Wuogon MP and Deputy Minister of Agriculture, John Setor Dumelo, refuted the claims and insisted he had declared his assets, the Fourth Estate contradicted his assertion. According to the outlet, they reached out to him on April 23, 2025, regarding his asset declaration status, and he admitted that he was yet to do it. Their report reaffirmed that as of April 17, 2025, he had not complied with the President’s order.