John Mahama’s ORAL: The Foundation for a New Era of Accountability in Ghana

For the past four days, I have been deeply engaged in raising capital for a business innovation I am developing with my brother. To successfully pivot, we require over a million dollars and are actively exploring venture capital financing. However, amidst this, I made time to follow the parliamentary approval process for the ministers nominated by H.E. President Mahama. One submission that caught my attention was that of the NPP’s Dominic Nitiwul.

1. The Political Class and Public Perception;

During the 2024 election cycle, while chairing the development of the NDC’s manifesto for young people, I engaged in numerous focus group discussions. A recurring theme was the perception that Ghanaian politics has become an avenue for the political class to appropriate public resources. Many young people believe that both the NDC and the NPP have been complicit in this unfortunate trend.

However, in 2024, the NDC was in opposition, presenting a unique opportunity to reset the national narrative. Our politics should not be more profitable than our enterprises. With my expertise in political marketing—being a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (MCIM) with the highest qualification, Level 7—I spent an entire night reflecting on a framework that could restore accountability and mobilize young independent voters.

This led to the development of “Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL)”, which I presented before the Committee of Chairpersons and the Drafting Team’s joint meeting. I argued that ORAL should become a flagship initiative of the NDC’s 2024 campaign. Based on my extensive engagement with young voters, I was convinced that this campaign would not only be a game-changer in the election but also serve as the foundation for the NDC to retain power in 2028.

Today, ORAL has captured national attention.

2. The NPP’s Strategy to Undermine ORAL;

Listening to Dominic Nitiwul yesterday provided insight into the NPP’s strategy under Afenyo-Markin. Their game plan is clear: to blur the distinction between the NDC and the NPP by framing land grabbing and the looting of state assets as crimes committed by both parties. If this narrative gains traction, it could disillusion a significant portion of the electorate seeking radical reforms and accountability from the NDC’s mandate.

To counter this, I propose the following strategic actions:

3 . Institutionalize ORAL as an Independent Commission;

The ORAL framework should not remain just an information-gathering entity; it must be transformed into a statutory commission with investigative powers that directly feed into the prosecutorial agencies of the state.

The commission should have the mandate to:

a. Investigate and recover misappropriated public assets.
b. Collaborate with the Attorney General’s office and the Special Prosecutor.
c . Ensure public transparency in all asset recovery efforts.

4. Enact a Law Regulating the Sale of State Lands ;

As Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has already suggested, Parliament must pass a law requiring all sales of government lands to be approved by Parliament.

Additionally:

a. The identities of all buyers, from the turn of this century onwards, must be publicly disclosed.
b. The valuation process must be transparent and subject to public scrutiny.

5. Conduct a Public Audit of State Asset Sales Since 2001;

A comprehensive forensic audit should be conducted on all state asset transactions from the turn of the century. This audit should:

a. Identify illegitimate sales and recommend reversals.
b. Publish findings for public accountability.
– Recommend legal actions against individuals found complicit.

6. Hold Public Hearings on Corruption in Public Procurement;

ORAL should organize national hearings where civil society, experts, and the general public can openly discuss:

a. The failures of our public procurement system.
b. Corrupt practices under previous administrations.
c. Structural reforms needed to prevent future abuse.

7. Strengthen Whistleblower Protection and Incentives;

To encourage transparency, the Whistleblower Act must be enhanced to:

a. Provide stronger legal protections against retaliation.
b.Offer financial incentives for credible reports on corruption.

8. Establish a Digital Transparency Portal for Government Contracts;

A real-time, publicly accessible online portal should be created to:

a. Publish all government contracts, procurement details, and payments.

b. Reduce the risk of inflated contracts and underhand dealings.

9. Form a Public Finance Oversight Council;

An independent “Public Finance Oversight Council” should be established, comprising civil society leaders, legal experts, and financial analysts, to:
a. Conduct periodic reviews of government spending.
b. Publish independent reports to Parliament and the public.

10; Launch a Citizen-Driven Anti-Corruption Monitoring Platform ;

A national anti-corruption app should be developed to:

a. Allow citizens to anonymously report corruption cases.
b.Connect directly with investigative bodies for swift action.
c. Deliver third party independent value-for-money reports on probono basis regarding government projects and expenditure lines

11. Conclusion: A New Era of Accountability;

If the NDC is to sustain its credibility and distinguish itself from the NPP, these measures must be aggressively pursued. The party must take the lead in governance reforms, ensuring accountability and justice for those who have plundered the nation’s resources.

The 2024 elections provided an opportunity for a reset. ORAL must not be just an information-gathering initiative—it must be the foundation of a new governance ethos in Ghana. It should serve as our Ghanaian version of a long-overdue agency for efficiency and the elimination of waste in public finances.

However, the government cannot do this alone.

It must carry the people along.

The prophetic words of the late President Jerry John Rawlings, delivered on that fateful day in Cape Coast before the National Delegates Conference of our Congress, keep re-echoing:

The NDC must distinguish and differentiate itself as a matter of principle, else the 1.7 million vote gap will vanish in the next election.

ORAL must mean more than an acronym feared by the NPP —it must become a lasting institutional force for accountability and governance reform in Ghana.

By Julian Cobbinah