President Mahama Moves to Turn Code of Conduct into Law

President John Dramani Mahama has explained that government’s Code of Conduct for public officials is being strengthened into law, stressing that while an earlier version served as a moral guide, the new framework before Parliament will be fully enforceable.

Speaking at a Presidential Dialogue with Civil Society Organisations, the President said the administration had already introduced internal ethical guidelines for ministers even before the legislative process commenced.

“The code of conduct is before Parliament. But even before Parliament received the bill, we had started our own code of conduct,” President Mahama said.

He noted that the initial version was formally launched at the Presidency shortly after ministerial appointments, with copies distributed to all ministers.

“We published it, and at the time that we appointed our ministers, we gave them copies. There was a ceremony in this very room where we launched the code of conduct and gave it to the ministers and asked them to study it,” he stated.

President Mahama, however, drew a clear distinction between the existing internal guidelines and the proposed legislation currently under consideration in Parliament.

“But now we’re going to legislate the code of conduct. That is the difference. The one that we gave to them was moral persuasion, but now it’s going to be law,” he explained.

He emphasized that once passed, the Code of Conduct would carry legal force and be binding on all public officials.

“And so everything there in the code of conduct, Parliament is going to debate it, and everything in the Code of Conduct will be enforceable,” he said.

President Mahama also expressed confidence in Parliament’s role in refining the bill, adding that the executive would act promptly once the legislative process is completed.

“We leave it to the best judgment of our representatives in Parliament to take the code through the processes, and when they have passed it and brought it as a law, I can assure you that I will assent to it as quickly as possible,” he assured.