The Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has addressed public concerns regarding the President’s recent acceptance and subsequent donation of two electric vehicles, stating emphatically that no laws have been breached.
His comments follow the launch of a new Code of Conduct for appointees by President Mahama, who also publicly declared receiving two vehicles as gifts, which he then handed over to the state.
Speaking in an interview with Asempa FM’s Ekosiisen show on Wednesday, Mr Kwakye Ofosu clarified that the electric vehicles, gifted by a Ghanaian company and a Chinese firm operating in Ghana, were offered as part of a wider initiative to promote green energy and sustainable transport in the country.
“There is no law that prohibits the acceptance of gifts,” he asserted. “Some companies provide their products to prominent individuals in the hope that, by using them, these individuals will increase public awareness of the products and potentially encourage others to patronise them.”
The Minister explained that it is common practice for individuals in high-profile positions to receive promotional items from businesses seeking visibility.
“On a daily basis, people bring such items with the intention of gaining support for promotion,” he said.
According to Mr Kwakye Ofosu, the electric cars were given to President John Mahama in line with this principle.
The gesture, he said, aligns with the government’s broader environmental agenda and the President’s influential role in shaping public perception.
“The cars in question are electric vehicles… and the companies gifted the cars to the President in line with the broader goal of transitioning to green energy,” he said.
He further explained that the President’s use of the cars could encourage the public to patronise them.
“His use of the vehicles could help encourage the public to adopt them,” he noted.
While reaffirming that accepting gifts is not unlawful, the Minister acknowledged that Ghanaian law does stipulate a value threshold beyond which gifts must be formally declared and handed over to the state.
“If a gift exceeds GH₵20,000, it must be declared and handed over to the state. That is precisely what President Mahama did, so he has not committed any offence,” Mr Kwakye Ofosu emphasised.
He added that this requirement is not unique to Ghana and is mirrored in the legal frameworks of many advanced democracies, with the main distinction being the specific financial thresholds involved.
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