The Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, who performed the inauguration in Accra last Thursday, said the new strategy would build on the gains of the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP), which was passed by Parliament in 2014.  

While acknowledging the successes of NACAP, including increased public awareness, digitisation of key services and enhanced financial stability measures, Mr Debrah expressed concern over Ghana’s declining performance on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), which dropped from 48 per cent in 2014 to 42 per cent in 2024.  

“Corruption is first and foremost a moral issue before it becomes a legal one. The new strategy must, therefore, prioritise ethics and integrity to instil a culture of accountability in our society,” Mr Debrah said.

The strategy, he said, would also enhance coordination among key anti-corruption institutions such as the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).  

Mr Debrah charged the working group to submit an initial draft of the strategy by August 31, 2025, and urged members to exercise prudence in the use of resources, given the country’s current economic challenges.  

He commended CHRAJ for its role in coordinating anti-corruption efforts over the past decade and assured the commission of the government’s continued support in promoting human rights and administrative justice.  

The new strategy will be coordinated by the Office of the Presidential Advisor on the National Anti-Corruption Programme (PANACP), headed by Professor Francis Dodoo, in collaboration with the Office of the Chief of Staff, to ensure effective implementation.  

Mr Debrah expressed confidence in the technical expertise of the team and urged them to work diligently to deliver a strategy that would set Ghana on a path of sustainable anti-corruption success.  

The group includes representatives from international diplomatic missions such as the British High Commission, German Embassy, High Commission of Canada, Embassy of Switzerland, and the United States (US) Embassy.

It also involves governance and anti-corruption bodies such as the Transparency International Ghana, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), Controller & Accountant General’s Department and Parliament House, among others.

In his opening remarks, Prof. Dodoo described the inauguration as "a decisive step in Ghana's collective resolve to eliminate corruption and its corrosive effects."

He emphasised that corruption remained "the single largest threat to national development," echoing recent findings by the Ghana Statistical Service.  

"The establishment of this Working Group is not a symbolic gesture.

We must develop a strategy that ensures ethics and accountability are embedded across all sectors," he stated.