Former Deputy Minister for Communications and leading NDC member, Victoria Lakshmi Hamah, has appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to formally reprimand, rather than dismiss, Sammy Gyamfi, the Acting CEO of the Ghana Gold Board, over his controversial cash donation to evangelist Nana Agradaa.
In an open letter titled “Youth in Power: Embracing Imperfection for a Progressive Democratic Future”, Hamah acknowledged the public concern surrounding the incident but argued that the matter should be handled in a way that promotes growth, mentorship, and resilience within the administration.
She praised Mahama’s track record of promoting youth and women in leadership roles, describing it as a historic shift from entrenched political power structures.
Drawing on Ghana’s post-independence legacy under Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, she pointed out how young, inexperienced individuals were once entrusted with major responsibilities — with many going on to shape the country’s most transformative policies.
“I respectfully submit that a formal reprimand, rather than exclusion from office, represents the most constitutionally sound and developmentally judicious response,” Hamah stated.
While emphasizing the importance of accountability, Hamah cautioned against creating a political culture that penalizes youthful missteps with immediate exclusion. She framed Gyamfi’s misjudgment within a broader narrative of intergenerational leadership, advocating for reflection over retribution.
“Youthful imperfection is not antithetical to good leadership. Rather, it is a component of growth,” she noted.
Hamah warned that mishandling such incidents could alienate a politically engaged generation and undermine the trust Mahama’s administration has built with young people.
“To support young leaders only in moments of triumph, and abandon them at the first signs of fallibility, is to reinforce a brittle political culture that discourages innovation and suppresses bold leadership,” she wrote.
She concluded by urging the President to use the incident as a teachable moment to reinforce values of mentorship, inclusive governance, and institutional strength.
“Let this moment serve not as a rupture, but as a reckoning with the kind of political maturity that welcomes imperfection as part of the journey toward excellence,” she said.
