CDD official urges Ghanaians to end culture of demanding money from politicians

By Rebecca Okine

Program Officer at the Center for Democratic Development (CDD), Veera Addo, has called on Ghanaians to critically examine and abandon the widespread practice of soliciting money from politicians and government appointees.

Speaking on Zed FM’s current affairs program, The Focus, Ms. Addo warned that the culture of financial demands on political figures undermines public accountability and encourages questionable behavior among public officials. Her comments follow recent public controversy involving acting GoldBod CEO Sammy Gyamfi and evangelist Patricia Asiedu, popularly known as Agradaa, over a “gift dollar” incident.

“If you’re a private businessperson, you’re free to give money as you wish. But once you’re a government appointee, the public has every right to ask, ‘Where did you get this money from?’” she said. “Public servants are held to a higher standard, and we must be able to interrogate how they use public trust.”

According to Ms. Addo, the real issue extends beyond isolated cases. She noted that the political environment in Ghana has evolved into a system where both citizens and politicians expect money to change hands—whether at funerals, social events, or constituency engagements.

“There’s a demand and supply dynamic at play,” she explained. “We expect politicians to have money and to give it freely. And so, they in turn find all sorts of ways—not always transparent—to meet those expectations.”

She pointed out that such expectations pressure public officials to divert resources or seek alternative, often unethical, means to maintain their public image and political relevance.

Using the recent controversy as a case in point, Ms. Addo urged both citizens and leaders to reflect. “Perhaps this is an opportunity for all of us to rethink how political financing works in this country. Citizens must stop demanding money, and appointees must stop giving indiscriminately just to maintain appearances.” She added that until the public stops making financial demands, scandals will continue to arise, eroding trust in governance and weakening democratic accountability.