Attorney General and Minister of Justice Dominic Ayine says the government’s decision to prioritise the economy, energy and accountability in its first batch of ministerial appointments was a strategic move anchored in campaign promises and hard lessons from Ghana’s recent past.
Speaking in an exclusive interview on Joy News’ Newsfile, Ayine said the three sectors reflected the core pillars of the National Democratic Congress’ 2024 manifesto and were deliberately chosen to allow the administration to “hit the road running”.
“If you go back to our manifesto, you realise that the economy was a central plank of our campaign,” Ayine said. He explained that the party’s assessment of economic decline under the previous administration was supported by objective indicators, including Ghana’s downgrade to junk status by international ratings agencies Fitch, Moody’s and S&P in 2022.
Ayine said the energy sector was equally critical, recalling that persistent power outages, widely known as dumsor, were a major factor in the NDC’s loss of power in 2016. He said President John Dramani Mahama was determined not to repeat that experience, making energy stability a priority from the outset.
Accountability and the fight against public sector corruption formed the third pillar, Ayine said, citing the popularity of the government’s “Operation Recover All Loot” initiative. He said assigning that mandate to the Attorney General’s office and appointing key figures in energy and economic management early on was meant to signal the administration’s governing priorities to the public.
Host Samson Lardy Anyenini noted that inflation, which stood at nearly 24 percent a year earlier, had fallen to single digits, while the currency had remained relatively stable and power supply steady, prompting public satisfaction with the government’s performance. He asked what role the Attorney General’s office had played in what some describe as an economic turnaround.
Ayine said the law’s impact on economic performance was indirect but important. He explained that his office drafts legislation and advises ministries, departments and agencies, including the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Ghana, on legal frameworks to support fiscal and monetary policy. He said all recent fiscal measures were drafted by the Legislative Drafting Division of his department.
On accountability, Ayine disclosed that his office was pursuing the recovery of funds allegedly overpaid to a company, including an additional $2 million beyond a previously confirmed $22 million. He rejected claims that the extra amount resulted from a clerical error, saying invoice comparisons from the Ministry of Finance, the District Assemblies Common Fund and the Public Procurement Authority showed a clear overpayment.
Ayine said he was considering either civil action to recover the funds or criminal prosecution of the company and its directors, stressing that the move should not be seen as a threat but as part of his duty to ensure accountability.
He added that his office was also conducting offshore investigations with the support of foreign asset recovery experts, tracing assets abroad alongside domestic probes. “We are doing them simultaneously with our investigations,” Ayine said.