Associate Professor of Law at the University of Ghana School of Law, Prof. Abdallah Ali-Nakyea, has raised alarm over the persistence of corruption in Ghana, attributing it largely to the inadequacies and loopholes in the country’s legal framework.

Speaking at a forum organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) under the theme “Hidden Riches, Hollow Laws: Dissecting the Loopholes That Fuel Corruption in Ghana,” Prof. Ali-Nakyea gave a candid assessment of how deeply corruption has taken root in Ghanaian society.

He cited recent examples in the media to illustrate the point, referencing a Ghanaian Times publication which, on the same day, carried two contrasting headlines: one urging journalists to help fight corruption, and another detailing the arrest of former Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) officials over the controversial SML contract.

“These two headlines in the same paper reveal the state of our fight against corruption,” Prof. Ali-Nakyea noted. “On one hand, there are calls for accountability. On the other hand, the headlines expose ongoing breaches of that very accountability.”

He also referenced the recent arrest of the former CEO of the National Buffer Stock Company by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), which further highlights how institutional gaps allow corruption to flourish unchecked.

“These incidents lay bare a fundamental flaw in our governance system,” he said. “They expose the dangerous conflict of interest that our laws fail to properly regulate.

How can someone implicated in a questionable contract continue to operate within the same institution?”

Prof. Ali-Nakyea called for urgent legal reforms and stronger enforcement mechanisms to close the loopholes that enable corruption and shield public officials from consequences.

The MFWA programme brought together key stakeholders from the media, civil society, and governance institutions to chart a path forward in the national fight against corruption.