Addressing Corruption: Lessons from Ghana’s Ministerial Scandal

The Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources in Ghana, Ms. Cecilia Dapaah was proud to “chestily” approach the police that her one million USD had been stolen from her home bank vaults by her home managers, who are facing various charges in court for the theft

Many Civil Society Organizations trooped to the streets of Ghana demanding that the President question where a public servant in a poor country like Ghana could have gotten such money from, and why her home has become a bank for storing dollars.

According to Adu Owusu of “myjoyonline.com, that money would have built “14 six-classroom unit blocks,” which would have been used to educate Ghanaian children.

Though she is deemed innocent until pronounced guilty by the court, but the activities of the Dapaahs, who are everywhere in the African political landscapes are one of the reasons Africa has perpetually remained underdeveloped.

I am sure Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo, gave her a soft landing to resign and she was immediately arrested.

One lesson I learned from this story is that after the arrest of Ms. Cecilia Dapaah, Ghanaians were united in demanding her prosecution. Nobody read tribal or religious undertones to the arrest or said “She is not the worst offender” as we often hear those siding with the Dapaahs looting their countries’ treasuries nor are we seeing politically concocted protests asking for her release.

With the wave of coups in Africa, African political leaders should begin to change the narratives, the quest to conquer the citizens to make them qualify for handouts, and stop the rat-cheese chase of stealing from the people, which has impoverished the continent for a long time. Democrats arise!

Grace and peace!!!