Policy and political analyst as well as lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr. Joshua Jebuntie Zaato, has suggested that the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) should undergo a rebranding process to appear more approachable to the public.
According to him, EOCO needs to operate in a way that encourages citizens to feel comfortable enough to willingly come to them and provide them with information.
Sharing his thoughts on the arrest of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) leader, Kofi Akpaloo, on Joy News on Thursday, September 4, Dr. Zaato said accountability is important in governance.
“I believe in both regime accountability and post-regime accountability. Any man or woman serving a public office or institution should be able to be held accountable for your actions or inactions,” he said.
He however observed that EOCO appears to be gaining public attention for the wrong reasons, saying, “They need a rebranding to make them look a little bit more friendly and welcoming.”
Dr. Zaato explained that while EOCO has highly skilled professionals, the public mostly associates the organisation with intimidation.
“It seems to me that if you just look beneath the name you will find professionals working. But you don’t see that, the only thing you see is whenever they are using this huge coercive power of the state. The muscular power of the state, that’s what we see,” he noted.
“Because it seems to me that if you just look beneath the name you will find professionals working. But you don’t see that, the only thing you see is whenever they are using this huge coercive power of the state. The muscular power of the state, that’s what we see,” he said.
He stressed on the need of EOCO to consider a rebrand, explaining that citizen cooperation is crucial to its success in investigating certain occurances.
“Some of the things they are doing, EOCO may need public support. They may need ordinary men and women to approach them and help them in their investigations and give them information,” he added.
Dr. Zaato further argued that EOCO’s current reputation makes it intimidating for citizens to engage with the institution.
“The current tag that they have with their name makes it scary for anybody to go there. They have not made themselves look like they are the kind of people you can walk to, share something with them and go back home,” he said.
He urged EOCO to adopt strategies similar to international institutions like the FBI and CIA, which occasionally rebrand to build public trust.
“Let’s rebrand, even organizations and institutions like the FBI and CIA once in a while try to rebrand. Because if you need public support in some of the most critical investigations, you need to let the public trust you and believe that you are friendly,” he advised.
Meanwhile, the specific reasons behind the arrest of Kofi Akpaloo remain unclear.
