President John Mahama has appointed one-time investigative journalist and intelligence specialist, Raymond Archer as the acting Deputy Executive Director of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).

This appointment forms part of the President’s Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative, which is aimed at reclaiming state assets acquired through corrupt means. Raymond Archer is expected to bring his extensive experience in investigations and intelligence to EOCO’s operations, strengthening its fight against financial crimes.

Raymond Archer has a long history in anti-corruption investigations. Since 2019, he has led a covert investigative team known as the Opponent’s Research Group (ORG), which specialises in uncovering financial misconduct and organised crime. His association with EOCO dates back 14 years, when he served as a lead United Nations consultant in the drafting of the Economic and Organised Crime Act (2010, Act 804), the law that formalised EOCO. His return to the institution in a leadership role is expected to enhance its investigative capabilities.

With over 15 years of experience in national security, intelligence, and risk consulting, Mr Archer has worked across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. He is a Certified Counter Fraud Specialist and has provided consultancy services for international firms, including KPMG (Europe), Kroll & Associates (UK), and Risk Analysis UK.

He also owns cybersecurity firms with partnerships with top Israeli cybersecurity companies and has expertise in defence intelligence and due diligence investigations in the energy sector.

His academic background includes postgraduate degrees and certifications in security, intelligence, and innovation from Leicester University, York St John’s University, and Portsmouth University (UK). He also holds diplomas in national security and intelligence applications from the Galilee International Management Institute in Israel. Currently, he is pursuing further studies in Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the University of Texas, McCombs Business School (USA), specialising in Generative AI.

Before transitioning into intelligence and security, Mr Archer was a renowned investigative journalist. In 2005, at the age of 29, he became the first African and youngest-ever recipient of the Global Gold Medal for Excellence in Journalism from the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

He also won the Lorenzo Natali Prize for Excellence in Journalism in Africa, the Best West African Journalist Award from the West African Journalism Association (WAJA), and the Best Investigative Journalist in Ghana (2003/2004) from the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA).

As the founder, editor, and publisher of The Enquirer newspaper and a former editor of The Ghanaian Chronicle, Mr Archer was instrumental in exposing corruption and holding power to account.

His appointment is expected to boost EOCO’s effectiveness in tackling high-profile corruption cases and financial crimes, leveraging his expertise in intelligence, security, and investigative journalism.