Presidential Advisor on Diaspora Affairs, Kofi Okyere Darko, popularly known as KOD, has called on political appointees to prioritize service over status, urging them to remain grounded and respectful to the citizens who empower their positions.
In a conversation on Rainbow Radio 92.4FM in the United Kingdom, KOD cautioned against the attitude of superiority some appointees assume once given the opportunity to serve. Without naming names directly at first, he pointed to the tendency of certain officials to see their appointments as an elevation above the very people they were called to serve.
“We are here to serve,” he stated. “My office is simply where I’ve been placed to perform that duty.”
He used the example of former Deputy Minister of Creative Arts, Mark Okraku Mantey, to highlight what he sees as a misplaced sense of importance among some former appointees.
“Mark Okraku Mantey was asked to serve, but he saw himself as a lord,” KOD said. “When you’re appointed, you should never consider yourself more important than those who voted your party into power. That’s where some politicians get it wrong.”
KOD, who has deep roots in public service through his family — his father being a former Director of Prisons and his mother a founding member of the 31st December Women’s Movement — emphasized that service should be the core mindset for anyone in public office.
“I moved up a notch because I’m now a director at the presidency,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean I should feel superior to my peers in the creative space. Having police escorts or people opening doors for you doesn’t make you better than Ghanaian voters. It just makes your work easier so you can serve them better.”
Although he disclosed that he had been advised not to directly respond to Mark Okraku Mantey, KOD made his opinion clear.
“The reason Mark is speaking now is because he failed to serve with humility. He saw himself as a lord,” he added. “But by God’s grace, some of us are in these roles now, and we understand what it means to truly serve. We won’t rule over the people — we will serve them.”