Good Ol’ Fashioned Corruption Faces an Adversary in Ghana

Last week the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) in collaboration with IMANI: Centre for Policy and Education held a seminar in Accra, Ghana to educate economists, entrepreneurs and policy makers on the essence of developing and protecting property rights.

According to Franklin Cudjoe, Executive Director of IMANI, property rights means possessing “The right to use, control, and dispose of one’s legitimately acquired property.”

Among the 165 participants were four immediate past Ministers of State, as well as a number of students and members of the diplomatic community.

Apparently  Ghana’s former Foreign Minister Akwasi Osei-Adjei was not in attendance however. Reports today say that Osei-Adjei was charged with causing financial loss to Ghana.  Osei-Adjei had been under investigation over rice imported from India, earlier this year. Reports say several members of the previous government are being investigated for alleged corruption.  Mr. Osei-Adjei is the first official from former President Kufuor’s administration to be formally charged.

In an interview, the former Minister said he had not been informed of the details of the charges, but he denies any corrupt actions.

In light of these events, the Imani’s  Freedom and Property Seminar seems to be highly relevant. Osei-Adjei’s actions raise crucial issues about the institutional setting of a country in transition. According to several experts on the subject, in the past, attention has been given to the establishment of property rights and the privatization of resources; all in the name of de-politicization.

Mr. Herald Klein of FNF said “Their aim [with the Freedom and Property Seminar] is to promote liberal democracy through political education and consultancies mainly with their political partners to promote a kind of dialogue not only in Africa but also across the world.”

Both IMANI and FNF espoused a commitment to promoting liberal solutions throughout Ghana. With efforts like the Freedom and Property Seminar, IMANI and FNF will be able to educate citizens about the importance of institutions  and political accountability, and will pave the way for the dream of upholding property rights.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 at 9:43 AM. It is filed under Africa and tagged with Akwasi Osei-Adjei, Friedrich Naumann Foundtion, Ghana, IMANI, private property, property rights. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.