Professor Kwame Karikari, a former Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, has sounded an alarm regarding a steep decline in moral and ethical standards among leaders in Ghana. He stated on Monday, May 4, 2026, that integrity and merit have been sidelined. Leadership across essential sectors in Ghana's Fourth Republic is failing to uphold these crucial principles.
Professor Karikari explained that the ethical behaviour within any profession is deeply tied to the prevailing moral climate of society. He emphasized that leaders in major institutions set the tone for these standards. The ethical conduct observed in fields such as journalism, therefore, cannot be viewed in isolation from the broader societal values demonstrated by those in positions of authority.
This assessment places Ghana's current economic and political landscape under scrutiny. Professor Karikari described public life in Ghana's Fourth Republic as being choked by excessive commercial interests and shallow political opportunism. This environment, he argued, actively disregards merit and is rooted in outdated social and cultural values. He noted this trend has worsened over his more than seven decades of living in the country.
"As far as I’m concerned, and I’ve lived in this country for well over seven decades, I’ve seen that in this Fourth Republic, the moral standards of people who are in leadership in all sectors, traditional or otherwise, have fallen very low," Professor Karikari stated. He further characterized the current situation as a 'banal supplication and prostitution before the god of illicit money' by leaders at all levels.
Despite his severe critique, Professor Karikari acknowledged Ghana's continued recognition for its commitment to freedom of expression and media freedom. However, he also pointed out that the media's professional shortcomings reflect these wider societal issues. He suggested that the struggles faced by Ghanaian media professionals are a symptom of a systemic breakdown in public life. This breakdown, he believes, hinders democratic governance and impedes social, economic, and cultural development for the nation.