President John Dramani Mahama has unveiled a comprehensive Code of Conduct for all his appointees.

The newly designed set of rules, launched on May 5, 2025, is to formally establish guidelines for moral behaviour, public accountability, and the prevention of abuse of power among all political appointees in his government.

This is not the first time President Mahama has introduced a Code of Conduct for his appointees; he implemented a similar framework during his administration in 2013 to guide the behaviour of public officials.

In his bid to demonstrate his commitment to promoting accountable governance, transparency, and integrity, President Mahama has consistently reiterated his stance on upholding these principles and has made it clear that non-compliance by any appointee will not be tolerated.

2025 Code of Conduct

The provision of the new code forbids appointees from accepting gifts or favours from people or organisations that have a stake in governmental decisions, among other things.

Although gift-giving is culturally accepted in Ghana, Mahama emphasised that moral limits must now be upheld.

“If a gift is received during an official engagement and its estimated value exceeds GH¢20,000.00, it must be declared. And upon leaving office, the gift must be surrendered unless the President grants written permission for it to be retained,” he said.

He added that government funds, including internally generated funds must not be used to purchase hampers or gift items.

He, however, made the exception that gifts would be given to employees in honor of their achievements or upon their retirement but even these would need to be approved by the Office of the Chief of Staff and budgeted for.

Nepotism and conflicts of interest are also covered under the Code. According to Mahama, appointees are required to disclose all private commercial interests, particularly those connected to government organizations. They are not allowed to use their power to get appointments or contracts for close friends or family members.

“Public perception matters. If your actions give even the appearance of bias, you compromise the integrity of your office,” President Mahama stated.

The Code also forbids political appointees from directly or indirectly acquiring any type of governmental property, including buildings, vehicles, shares, and land.

On the issue of ministerial travels, the Chief of Staff must give his or her prior approval for any travel outside of Ghana, whether it be official or not.

Additionally, within 14 days of returning from any official duty, appointees are required to provide a report.

2013 Code of Conduct

The provisions outlined in the 2013 Code of Conduct clearly defined ministerial conduct, offering guidance on how appointees should act and manage their responsibilities to uphold the highest professional standards and avoid any conflict of interest.

It consisted of key components such as a code of ethics, a statement of values, guidelines on civility and restraint, rules against influence peddling, assets declarations, conflict of interest and directives on the use of budgetary allocations — elements that closely mirror those found in the newly introduced Code of Conduct.

On the issue of gifts — an area that has resurfaced prominently in the new code — the 2013 Code of Conduct laid out clear and detailed provisions. It required that ministers relinquish any gifts to the Secretary of the Cabinet for appropriate display. However, ministers were allowed to keep gifts if their estimated value did not exceed GH¢200.00 at the time.

For gifts valued at GH¢200.00 or more, ministers could retain them while in office, provided they formally declared them in the interest of transparency. Furthermore, any gift with an estimated value of GH¢500.00 or more had to be relinquished upon leaving office, unless explicit permission was obtained from President Mahama to retain it.

Punishment or Sanctions

The 2013 Code of Conduct stipulated that appointees who violated its provisions or engaged in conduct that prima facie constituted a breach of the rules would be subject to disciplinary action at the President’s discretion.

Depending on the severity of the misconduct, the President could decide whether the appointee should apologise, be formally reprimanded, asked to resign, or have their appointment terminated.

These disciplinary measures closely align with those outlined in the new code, which specifies that violations may attract sanctions ranging from public reprimands and suspension to outright dismissal.

MAG/VPO

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