The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), the local chapter of Transparency International, has raised concerns about the GHS20,000 threshold for declaring gifts in former President John Mahama’s newly unveiled Code of Conduct for public office holders.
While commending the overall objectives of the Code, GII Executive Director Mary Addah questioned the high value set for mandatory gift declarations.
“To say again that his appointees must declare any gift that they have received that exceeds GHS20,000 – For us in the civil society and for us in Transparency International, we believe that is a huge amount,” Addah stated.
She argued that the threshold does not align with the economic realities of most Ghanaians, including those in public service.
“Looking at the minimum or average wage of the Ghanaian, even those in the middle class—I believe directors in various sectors—do not get GHS10,000 to go home with,” she noted.
Addah cautioned that such a high benchmark could leave significant gifts undeclared, undermining efforts to promote transparency and accountability in public office.
“Based on what we set that minimum benchmark of GHS20,000, it’s an issue we can interrogate going forward,” she added.
