Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL), insisting that the initiative is progressing steadily and must succeed if Ghana’s democracy is to remain intact.
Speaking from his unique position as a former Chairman of President John Dramani Mahama’s ORAL Preparatory Team, Hon. Ablakwa described the anti-corruption drive as both a moral duty and a national necessity.
“I have always said that one of the very proud assignments I have carried out is to be chair of the ORAL Preparatory Committee, and I’m eternally grateful to President Mahama for that honor.”
Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
According to him, the experience was the culmination of years of parliamentary oversight work during which he witnessed what he characterised as staggering levels of waste, diversion, and outright looting of state resources.
Drawing on his time as Ranking Member and later Chair of Parliament’s Assurance and Oversight Committees, Hon. Ablakwa said the scale of financial mismanagement he encountered left lasting impressions. In his view, Ghana’s current economic difficulties did not arise by accident.
He argued that the country should never have been pushed into a debt exchange programme or forced to restructure debt in a way that affected pensioners and ordinary citizens whose life savings were tied to government instruments. For him, those painful outcomes were the result of unchecked looting by elements of the previous administration.
ORAL on Government’s Agenda
It was against that background, he said, that ORAL was conceived. Hon. Ablakwa explained that the preparatory team completed its mandate and submitted a comprehensive report to the Attorney-General, marking the transition from investigation to prosecution and recovery. Since then, he noted, President Mahama has kept ORAL high on the government’s agenda, requesting briefings on the initiative at virtually every cabinet meeting.
According to the Foreign Affairs Minister, this sustained presidential interest signals that ORAL is not a side project but a central pillar of the Mahama administration’s governance agenda. He said the President’s insistence on regular updates reflects a clear determination to ensure that accountability is not compromised by political pressure or convenience.
Hon. Ablakwa praised Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, for what he described as a careful and disciplined approach to prosecutions arising from ORAL investigations.
He said the Attorney-General has been working relentlessly, often at great personal cost, to ensure that cases are built on solid evidence. In his assessment, Dr. Ayine is determined to avoid poorly prepared prosecutions that could collapse in court due to technical errors or weak investigations.
He acknowledged that some members of the public are impatient and want swift justice, but cautioned that speed must not come at the expense of substance. “The wheel of justice is grinding slowly,” he suggested, but added that what matters most is that it is moving in the right direction and with clear intent.
Early Signs of Success
Hon. Ablakwa pointed to early signs of success, saying the state is already retrieving assets believed to have been acquired with public funds. He referred to the confiscation of numerous properties, including large numbers of houses, which he said could yield significant revenue for the state if auctioned. He also mentioned the freezing of bank accounts allegedly holding state resources, describing these steps as evidence that ORAL is producing tangible results.
He said these efforts are being strengthened by collaboration among several state institutions, including the Economic and Organised Crime Office, the Bureau of National Investigations, the Office of the Special Prosecutor and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice. In his view, the multi-agency nature of the work underscores the seriousness of the government’s intentions.
Describing himself as an optimist, Hon. Ablakwa said he remains confident that ORAL will ultimately succeed because the political will behind it has not faltered. He noted that cabinet discussions on ORAL are frequent and detailed, with a shared understanding that the initiative must set a clear example for both past and present officeholders.
He emphasised that President Mahama’s message is not limited to pursuing former officials, but also serves as a warning to those currently in power. According to him, the President has repeatedly told his appointees that there will be no protection or cover-up for wrongdoing, stressing personal responsibility, transparency and integrity in public service.
Hon. Ablakwa ended on a stark note, arguing that failure is simply not an option. He warned that if ORAL were to collapse or lose credibility, the consequences would extend beyond asset recovery.
In his view, the failure of ORAL would erode public trust and threaten the very foundations of Ghana’s democratic system. For that reason, he insisted, ORAL is on track and must succeed, because the country has no other choice.
READ ALSO: Producer inflation Slides to 12.3% in November 2025 as Factory Gate Prices Cool Sharply
