Nana Yaa Jantuah calls for sanctions over leaked GTA memo involving Maame Efua Houadjeto and Abeiku Santana

Presidential Staffer Nana Yaa Jantuah has called for sanctions against the person who leaked an internal memo involving Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) Chief Executive Officer Maame Efua Houadjeto and her deputy, Abeiku Santana, insisting that confidential official correspondence must not be released without authorisation.

She said the disclosure raised serious concerns about the handling of official information within the public service and urged the relevant authorities to establish how the document found its way into the public domain.

Speaking on JoyNews' AM Show on Monday, October 26, Nana Jantuah questioned the motive behind the leak, saying that internal disagreements should be addressed through the appropriate channels rather than exposed publicly.

“This is an internal memo. And once it's an internal communication, whoever brought it out has to be sanctioned,” she said.

"I do not think that it's something that should even have come out like that. So I ask myself who brought out the letter in the public domain. What does the person seek to achieve?"

She said the public disclosure of such correspondence could undermine the standards expected of public officials, particularly when the information had not been authorised for release.

Referring to the code of ethics governing the public service, she said that staff had a responsibility to protect internal communications.

“Because within the code of ethics of the public service, information that is internal, if not authorised, should not be put out,” she stated.

The presidential staffer also questioned how the document could have been obtained by the media, suggesting that someone with access to the correspondence may have shared it without permission.

When asked whether a journalist could have intercepted the memo, Ms Jantuah challenged the suggestion and called for scrutiny of the procedures for handling official documents.

“How do you intercept it? Then it means that the assistants are loose,” she said.

She said that the document was unlikely to have reached the public without the involvement of someone familiar with the internal workings of the institutions concerned.

“Within the public service, if you are working in there, somebody should have given it to you. You can't just intercept it. How did you intercept it? Did you catch it in the sky or something?” she asked.

She said the possibility that someone within the relevant offices had disclosed the correspondence was troubling and warranted attention.

“Somebody within the relevant secretariat could have given it to you. Between the ministry and the GTA. And that is troublesome,” she added.

This follows a letter from the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) in charge of Marketing and Special Duties, Gilbert Abeiku Aggrey aka Santana, sent to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, raising concerns about difficulties accessing GTA Chief Executive Officer Maame Efua Houadjeto for official consultations.

Mrs Houadjeto responded by defending her approach to staff engagement and proposing measures to improve communication and coordination between their offices.