President John Mahama unveiled what he calls the Operation-Recover-All-Loot (ORAL), a bold and ambitious anti-corruption campaign aimed at retrieving billions of dollars lost to graft and financial recklessness under the outgoing administration.

At the heart of this initiative is a promise to “make corruption costly” by prosecuting offenders, banning political appointees from acquiring state assets, and recovering looted wealth for national development.

This comes on the back of Ghana’s deteriorating corruption outlook. From a peak Corruption Perception Index (CPI) score of 48 in 2014, the nation’s score dropped to 40 during the Akufo-Addo era. The 2023 Auditor-General’s report further reveals GH₵8.8 billion in financial irregularities, a chunk of which is recoverable. But the rot is deeper and more expensive than numbers suggest.

The ORAL document outlines a shocking US$18.4 billion in estimated financial scandals, including:

• US$25 billion spent on a banking sector clean-up,
• US$108 million ambulance scandal,
• US$130 million from overpriced COVID testing contracts,
• US$48 million in unauthorized African Games expenses,
• US$11.9 million for a non-existent Pwalugu Dam,
• And US$2.8 million blown on undelivered Sputnik V vaccines.

Other eye-watering revelations include the cathedral salary scandal, luxury private jet usage costing up to GHS 4 million per trip, and over US$3 billion tied to the SML scandal. In nearly all cases, there was no value for money, no transparency, and zero consequences, until now, or so ORAL promises. Yet, the success of ORAL hinges on transparency, independence, and accountability. As such, Ghanaians are asking critical questions:

• Where is the recovery account?
• After six (6) months in administration, how much has been recovered so far?
• Where is the list of recovered funds and assets?
• Who is being prosecuted, and how many cases are in court?
• Will the ORAL team publish regular public reports?
• Is there a dedicated Recovery Fund with bank traceability?

Mahama’s credibility will be judged not by intentions, but by results and recovery. For many, ORAL must not become just another slogan weaponized for political revenge. It must deliver justice, visibly, verifiably, and impartially.

If Ghana is to restore integrity in governance, the ORAL mission must not whisper; it must roar.