By Daniel Bampoe
Calls for accountability at the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) have intensified as a formal petition has been sent to President John Dramani Mahama demanding the temporary removal of the company’s Managing Director, Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare.
The petition stems from ongoing investigations by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) into a controversial revenue audit contract signed between GACL and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Ltd (SML) affiliated firm.
The petition, authored by a concerned citizen Gyesi Boako, was submitted on Friday, August 1, 2025.
It urges the Presidency to act swiftly by directing Afriyie Opare to step aside in order to preserve the integrity of the investigations being carried out by the OSP.
According to Gyasi Boako, the contract in question—reportedly signed by Afriyie Opare—raises serious concerns over possible corruption, procurement breaches, and irregularities in awarding state-linked auditing mandates to SML.
The revenue assurance firm has been under increasing public scrutiny in recent months after multiple state contracts awarded to it came under review for lacking transparency and competitive bidding processes.
“This petition is not an indictment,” Boako noted, “but a call for institutional integrity.”
He emphasized that allowing Afriyie Opare to continue in her role while the investigations are underway could pose risks of interference or create conflicts of interest that could compromise the outcome.
The SML saga has already cast a shadow on several public agencies.
The OSP launched investigations into how the company secured lucrative revenue audit and monitoring contracts with institutions including the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and now GACL.
Critics argue that the deals lacked proper procurement oversight, raising red flags about political patronage and abuse of office.
In his petition, Boako maintained that stepping aside would be a proactive step toward transparency, not a presumption of guilt.
“It sends the right message to Ghanaians—that public service is not only about power, but also about public accountability,” he wrote.
Boako also outlined four key reasons for his request:
1. To protect the integrity of the ongoing investigations;
2. To prevent any potential conflict of interest;
3. To demonstrate institutional commitment to accountability;
4. And to preserve public confidence in both the leadership of GACL and the credibility of the OSP’s work.
