By: Valentina Tetteh
Ghana’s Parliament has reaffirmed its commitment to combating illicit financial flows (IFFs) and promoting transparency through digital reforms at the 2025 African Parliamentary Network on Illicit Financial Flows and Taxation (APNIFFT) Continental Conference held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Representing Ghana, the Clerk to Parliament, Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, highlighted the country’s progress in strengthening accountability through digital transformation, particularly the Ghana Electronic Procurement System (GHANEPS).
Launched in 2019, GHANEPS was designed to reduce human discretion in public procurement and ensure transparent contracting processes.
According to Mr. Djietror, the digitisation initiative has significantly improved oversight and auditing within the public sector.
“The data generated by GHANEPS provides ready information for parliamentary committees, especially the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), to conduct regular oversight and seek answers on reported procurement irregularities,” he stated.
He further explained that Ghana’s ongoing digital reforms form part of its Open Government Partnership (OGP) commitments, which aim to strengthen transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in governance. Mr. Djietror also referenced key legislations such as the Companies Act, 2019 (Act 992) and the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921), both of which provide the legal framework for promoting corporate transparency and digital governance.
Chairperson of the APNIFFT Steering Council, Dr. Khanyisile Tshabalala, underscored the urgent need for collective African parliamentary action to curb illicit financial flows. She noted that the phenomenon continues to drain the continent’s foreign reserves, exacerbate poverty, and undermine economic stability.
Dr. Tshabalala urged African legislators to work collaboratively across national borders to ensure tax justice and preserve Africa’s wealth for sustainable development.
The Ghanaian delegation included APNIFFT caucus members in Parliament such as Kwame Gakpey (MP for Keta), Rita Naa Odoley Sowah (MP for La Dade Kotopon) and Deputy Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Abdul-Salam Adams (MP for New Edubiase), Dr. Isaac Opoku (MP for Offinso South), and the Clerk to the caucus, Gifty Jiagge-Gobah.
The APNIFFT Conference, coordinated by the Tax Justice Network Africa (TJNA), brought together parliamentarians, civil society organisations, and development partners from across the continent. Participants reviewed a decade of progress in the fight against illicit financial flows and explored new strategies to strengthen transparency, tax justice, and cooperation under the upcoming UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation.
