Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has praised President John Mahama for reversing questionable sales of state lands under the previous administration but urged him to implement lasting reforms to prevent future abuses.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, March 8, Mr. Bentil lauded Mahama’s move as a step towards curbing political misuse of public assets.
However, he called for the institutionalization of transparent rules to eliminate discretionary allocation of state properties.
“I commend President Mahama. He has stopped one thing, but he can do more. In four years, he can publish rules under Article 296 to ensure that no Chief of Staff, no government official, may allocate state property to any private person under any circumstance except through a lawful process,” Bentil stated.
He criticized the culture of entitlement among public officials and emphasized the need for a stewardship mindset.
“A steward doesn’t enter office looking to loot as if they have just won a war,” he said.
Citing Articles 257 and 296 of the Constitution and the Public Procurement Act 663, Bentil argued that state assets should be auctioned transparently to maximize public benefit.
He urged Mahama to set a precedent by establishing clear guidelines that would make future discretionary allocations of state resources impossible, promoting accountability and fairness in governance.
