Ghana must begin blacklisting private companies implicated in corruption to restore integrity in public procurement and strengthen its anti-corruption fight, Associate Professor Abdallah Ali-Nakyea of the University of Ghana School of Law has said.
Speaking at a high-level policy forum hosted by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) in Accra on June 26, Prof. Ali-Nakyea urged a tougher stance against corporate misconduct, warning that private entities are increasingly central to public sector corruption.
“The private sector should adopt ethical practices and principles. Many companies benefit directly from state contracts yet operate without regard for transparency or integrity.” he asserted.
While much of the country’s anti-corruption discourse has focused on government institutions, the legal and tax expert called for a “zero-tolerance regime” that would deny non-compliant firms access to public contracts. He argued that the state’s dominant economic footprint provides the leverage needed to enforce ethical standards across sectors.
“Government is the biggest buyer, biggest supplier, and biggest employer. All the private sector jobs are coming from the government. Why can’t we blacklist unethical businesses so that we can promote the good ones?” he asked.
Call for Legislative Reform and Accountability Measures
Prof. Ali-Nakyea recommended that Ghana’s anti-corruption laws be amended to include full recovery of misappropriated funds, enhanced penalties, and clear naming-and-shaming protocols. He stressed that simply punishing offenders without reclaiming stolen assets falls short of delivering real justice.
“Let’s amend anti-corruption laws to close the loopholes identified. We should have provisions for the recovery of funds. I believe in name, recover and punish, If you name, recover and punish, the result is shame. But if you name, punish and don’t recover, then nothing has been done.” he stated.
He also advocated stronger protections for whistleblowers to enable more citizen-led accountability without fear of reprisal, as well as improved financial oversight within Ghana’s banking system to curb illicit financial flows (IFFs).
Citing the massive losses from corruption and IFFs in sectors such as mining, Prof. Ali-Nakyea argued that Ghana must shift from relying on foreign aid to plugging domestic revenue leakages. He estimated that the country could save billions annually with stronger enforcement mechanisms, reducing the need for external borrowing.
The forum, themed “Hidden Riches, Hollow Laws: Dissecting the Loopholes That Fuel Corruption and Illicit Financial Flows”, brought together stakeholders from academia, civil society, the legal sector, and the media. Discussions centred on institutional vulnerabilities and policy gaps undermining Ghana’s fight against corruption.
