Counsel to former President Nana Akufo-Addo, Kow Essuman, has blown an alarm on the Bank of Ghana (BoG) for dodging an RTI request by a citizen seeking a disclosure of non-performing loans written off by commercial banks, totalling GHS 1.39 billion.
According to Kow Essuman, the BoG requested the citizen’s identification, which was duly provided. Then it simply refused to release the information.
He further alleged that the citizen filed an application at the High Court to compel disclosure, which led to the BoG producing a letter, purportedly dated 24 April 2026, refusing the request on grounds that the information is “exempt.” No explanation. No legal basis offered.
In a post shared on X, Kow Essuman wrote, “In January this year, a citizen filed an RTI request with the Bank of Ghana, seeking disclosure of non-performing loans written off by commercial banks, totalling GHS 1.39 billion. The Bank initially asked for the citizen’s identification, which was duly provided. Then it simply refused to release the information.
On 28 April 2026, the citizen did what the Constitution entitles him to do; he filed an application at the High Court to compel disclosure.
Then something interesting happened.
Today, the Bank of Ghana produced a letter, purportedly dated 24 April 2026, refusing the request on grounds that the information is “exempt.” No explanation. No legal basis offered. Nothing.
I say purportedly dated 24 April because the dispatch stamp tells a different story: the letter was posted on 7 May 2026; nine days after the court application was filed. Draw your own conclusions about the timing.
This is not an isolated incident. I have seen, firsthand, this government and its appointees go to deliberate, calculated lengths to keep the public in the dark. Transparency is not merely neglected by this government; it is actively resisted.
GHS 1.39 billion in written-off loans. Public money. Public interest. And a government that would rather litigate than simply answer the question.
That should tell you everything. Accountability is a strange concept to this government”.
In related news, the Minority in Parliament has disputed the official Bank of Ghana’s (BoG) figures, which claimed they made a GH¢15.6 billion operating loss for the 2025 financial year.
According to the Minority, they acknowledge the BoG’s transparency in its public disclosure, but disputed the figures.
Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ofoase-Ayirebi and Ranking Member of Parliament’s Economy and Development Committee, alleged that the central bank employed “artificial recognition” and “clever accounting” to move portions of the deficit into “other comprehensive income”.
He detailed that the move effectively downplayed the scale of the operating loss.
Kojo Oppong Nkrumah argued that the BoG’s “true operating loss” is closer to GH¢34.9 billion, adding that once gold sale proceeds are factored in, the total comprehensive loss nears GH¢44 billion.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, May 3, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah disputed official figures, saying, “The government and its spin doctors, led by the NDC party officials who did that press conference, are trying to convince the people of Ghana that their loss is GH¢15.6 billion.
“We regret to tell the people of Ghana that this is not true. The true operating loss of the Bank of Ghana for the year 2025 is GH¢34.9”, he remarked.
He stated, “The government says the loss is GHC15.6 billion. The true operating loss of the Bank is actually GHC34.9 billion cedis.
In fact, if you add back the 9.6 billion cedis proceeds from the Gold sales, the recalculated loss is actually GHC44 billion.”
See the post below:
In January this year, a citizen filed an RTI request with the Bank of Ghana, seeking disclosure of non-performing loans written off by commercial banks, totalling GHS 1.39 billion. The Bank initially asked for the citizen’s identification, which was duly provided. Then it simply… pic.twitter.com/zJQ7jSpApz
— Kow Essuman (@kaessuman) May 8, 2026