Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante, has described the controversy surrounding the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board, Sammy Gyamfi, as a case of “public lifestyle versus public annoyance.”
The criticism follows the circulation of a viral video in which Mr. Gyamfi is seen handing over an undisclosed amount of U.S. dollars to evangelist Patricia Asiedua Asiamah, popularly known as Nana Agradaa.
The video drew heavy backlash from the public and civil society organisations, with many expressing outrage over what they described as an inappropriate display of wealth amid a difficult economic climate.
Critics argued that Mr. Gyamfi’s conduct could potentially breach the Foreign Exchange Act and the Code of Conduct for Public Office Holders.
Amid growing pressure, some minority MPs and governance watchdogs called for his dismissal.
However, President John Mahama, under whose administration Mr. Gyamfi was appointed to the Gold Board role, has accepted his apology and issued a stern warning, effectively closing the matter.
Speaking on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, Dr. Asah-Asante described the public outrage as a reflection of deep frustration among Ghanaians.
He noted that public anger was not only due to the incident itself but also the prevailing economic hardship across the country.
Dr. Asah-Asante, however, pointed to a deeper, systemic issue, what he described as the entrenched hypocrisy and monetization in Ghanaian politics.
He emphasized the need for institutional reforms to curb the excessive influence of money in politics and restore public confidence in democratic governance.
“One is the issue of the public. You see a problem of what public lifestyle versus public annoyance. Why did people react the way they did? It’s simply because times are hard. People are struggling to make ends meet. And all of a sudden, they will see one of their own sharing foreign currency, as it were, dollars. Obviously, it will anger not only his party people, but every well-meaning Ghanaian will be worried and will be angered about that and that explains the reaction you saw.”
“Two, there is also hypocrisy in the air, and particularly in Ghanaian politics. What am I talking about? Suppose you look at the monetization of politics. In that case, I have no doubt in my mind that everybody is aware how the political class has monetized politics to defend that when they are going for primaries and elections within their parties, they share money to their faithful, to their supporters, with people of this country. It is even worse when they are going for national elections, the day before, the night before the elections. It seems as if the political class shares all the money that we have in this country with people, and it’s a fact. They don’t only share money, they also share tangible assets, such as television sets. They share a whole lot of food items, and a whole lot which you and I know.”
