The Office of the President has formally acknowledged receipt of IMANI Africa’s petition raising concerns about political interference in Ghana’s insurance sector, assuring the think tank that the matter will be brought to the attention of President John Dramani Mahama for action.
In a letter dated April 1, 2026, signed by the Secretary to the President, Callistus Mahama, PhD, and bearing reference number ORS307/26/487, the Presidency confirmed receipt of IMANI’s correspondence dated March 30, 2026.
“I acknowledge receipt of the petition and write to inform you that the contents of the petition have been duly noted and will be brought to the attention of His Excellency, the President, for his necessary action,” the letter states.
The response is addressed to IMANI founder Franklin Cudjoe.
What the Petition Said
IMANI’s petition — titled Safeguarding Procurement Integrity, Market Confidence and National Risk Governance in Ghana’s Insurance Sector — was formally presented to President Mahama during a civil society encounter at the Presidency on March 30, 2026.
In it, Mr Cudjoe warned of what he described as a systematic takeover of Ghana’s insurance sector by “unseen political hands” hiding behind administrative directives to override legitimate contracts and redirect state insurance business.
The petition pointed to shifts in insurance renewal behaviour without evidence of competitive tendering, reduced participation of private insurers in major state-linked placements, and a growing perception of predetermined procurement outcomes. It also noted formal petitions from market participants — including GLICO General Insurance — raising concerns about market distortion and regulatory neutrality.
The Paper Trail
The concerns underpinning the petition are anchored in a document trail that IMANI has since published in full.
At the centre is a letter dated December 11, 2025, from the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), bearing reference SIGA/SOE.SIC/1225. Its subject heading reads: “Directive to State-Owned Enterprises to Prioritise the Use of State-Owned Insurance Companies.”
The letter references an earlier communication sent to Chief Executive Officers of all SOEs and Specified Entities, which SIGA describes as having directed those institutions to prioritise SIC Insurance PLC and SIC Life Company Limited for their insurance needs. The December 11 letter was a follow-up requesting compliance reports from SIC — including lists of SOEs doing business with the company, premium volumes, and renewal status.
A second document, a letter from SIC Life to GIHOC Distilleries dated December 23, 2025, shows the directive moving through the system, explicitly referencing guidance from the Ministry of Finance and SIGA while requesting to be “favourably considered” in GIHOC’s upcoming insurance renewal.
Industry Alarm and SIC’s Denial
The controversy had already drawn public comment from industry veteran Sir Sam Jonah, who described the pattern of interference as “deeply troubling and dangerously systemic,” warning that what was once an occasional disruption had become “more embedded, more dangerous.”
SIC Managing Director James Agyenim-Boateng pushed back on the allegations in an appearance on Newsnite on JoyNews, insisting the claims were “totally baseless and unfounded” and that SIGA’s communications amounted to encouragement, not a directive.
But the December 11 letter, authored and signed by SIGA itself, uses the word “directive” in its subject heading and references “compliance” follow-up in its body, directly contradicting that characterisation.
A Pattern the President Has Seen Before
Mr Cudjoe’s petition reminded President Mahama that this is not the first time such concerns have emerged on his watch.
In 2014, during his first administration, the Ghana Insurers Association, through the National Insurance Commission, formally petitioned him over a similar issue, the allocation of state insurance business along non-competitive lines. President Mahama intervened decisively at the time, reversing the directive and reaffirming that placements must be guided by merit, value for money, and competitive process.
“That the issue has resurfaced during your return to office underscores a deeper structural persistence, but also affirms that you have the credibility, precedent, and institutional memory to correct this drift decisively,” Mr Cudjoe wrote.
Government communications minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu had earlier indicated on The Pulse that appropriate action would be taken “where it is required.”
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com