Former United Nations Senior Governance Advisor, Prof Baffour Agyeman-Duah, has expressed support for the President’s recent move to sanction appointees who failed to comply with asset declaration regulations, describing it as a “good beginning” and a step in the right direction.

This comes after President John Dramani Mahama took action against government appointees who failed to meet the March 31 deadline for asset declaration.

The president has ordered that the said officers forfeit three months of their salary and donate the amount to the Ghana Medical Trust Fund. He has also threatened to dismiss appointees who fail to do so after May 6, 2025.

Speaking in an interview on JoyNews' The Pulse on Monday, May 5, Prof Agyeman-Duah said he was “quite pleased” with the initiative, despite it not entirely aligning with earlier expectations.

“I’m happy that he’s taken this step. It might not be what we expected, especially since in his first announcement, he seemed to have said if you don’t do it by March, you’d be gone,” he remarked.

The professor further noted that the decision to withhold the salaries of non-compliant appointees for two to three months is a firm and commendable approach.

“Punishing them with foregoing their salaries for two or three months—I think it’s a good beginning. So, I’m happy that the President has taken this tough stance,” he stated.