The Executive Director of The Bright Future Alliance (TBFA) has called for a change in the language used to describe corruption-related offences involving public officials.
Speaking at the second edition of the African Governance and Anti-Corruption Summit, he argued that terms such as “embezzlement” and “misappropriation of funds” are often too technical and may not be easily understood by the average citizen.
According to him, public officials accused of diverting or unlawfully taking state resources should be described in simpler terms that clearly reflect the nature of the offence.
“We have become too sophisticated in describing wrong doing. Someone diverts public funds and spends money for purposes never approved and instead of calling these people thieves or calling the acts stealing, we give them nice names. We use the terms financially misappropriated funds or embezzled funds. These people should be called thieves” he stated.
He maintained that using plain language would help citizens better understand corruption cases and strengthen public accountability. He further noted that simplifying such terminology could make anti-corruption advocacy more relatable and impactful for ordinary Ghanaians.
The remarks formed part of his opening remarks at the summit, which brought together governance experts, policymakers, civil society actors, anti-corruption advocates and students to explore ways of promoting transparency and accountability across Africa.
The African Governance and Anti Corruption Summit 2026 was held under the theme: Corporate Institutions and Public Agencies as Pillars of Accountability: Strengthening Governance Systems for Sustainable National Growth.
