By Leo Nelson
The IMANI Center for Policy & Education has begun a legal transparency campaign to obtain asset declarations filed by senior public officials, arguing that the long-standing practice of keeping the records in “sealed envelopes” undermines the constitutional purpose of public asset disclosure.
President of IMANI, Franklin Cudjoe said the organisation has directed its analysts and legal advisors to begin filing requests under the Right to Information Act, 2019, to obtain declarations submitted to the Auditor-General and conduct “longitudinal analysis” on the wealth accumulation of politicians over the course of their public service.
Under Article 286 of the 1992 Constitution, public office holders, including ministers, members of parliament, and other senior officials, are required to declare assets and liabilities to the Auditor-General at entry into office, every four years, and upon leaving office. However, the declarations have historically been filed in “sealed envelopes”, a practice IMANI argues has effectively removed the documents from public scrutiny.
Cudjoe said the organisation believes the secrecy surrounding the declarations is based on an administrative convention rather than law, describing it as a “sealing convention” that has persisted for decades without clear statutory authority. According to IMANI’s legal analysis, neither the Constitution nor the Public Office Holders (Declaration of Assets and Disqualification) Act, 1998, expressly mandates the confidentiality of the filings.
The think tank argues that the Right to Information framework establishes a “clear right of access” to information held by public institutions, including the Office of the Auditor-General. Under the Act, access may only be denied under specific exemptions, and IMANI maintains that asset declarations do not fall within those categories.
As part of the campaign, IMANI has submitted initial RTI requests seeking the asset declarations of former sanitation minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah and politician Abass Nurudeen Baba Jamal. The organisation said the two cases are intended as test examples to challenge the legality of the long-standing secrecy surrounding the declarations.
Franklin Cudjoe said the objective is not to target individuals but to secure a legal determination on whether the sealing practice can stand under Ghana’s transparency laws. He described the effort as “opening the envelope” on a constitutional accountability mechanism that has remained largely inaccessible to the public.
The Auditor-General has 14 days to respond to the RTI applications. If disclosure is denied, IMANI said it will pursue internal review procedures and subsequently appeal to the Right to Information Commission, which has the authority to order the release of public records.
Should the matter remain unresolved, the think tank indicated it is prepared to pursue litigation in the courts to determine whether the long-standing practice of sealing asset declarations is consistent with the right to information guaranteed under the Constitution.
IMANI said the initiative is intended to reinforce “constitutional accountability mechanisms” and strengthen oversight of public officials. The organisation believes access to the declarations would allow analysts to track “wealth accumulation over time” and contribute to broader reforms in Ghana’s governance and transparency framework.