ILAPI предлагает создать единый закон и цифровой портал для возврата спящих банковских средств семьям в Гане

The Institute for Liberty and Policy Innovation (ILAPI) wants a single Next of Kin and Beneficiary Access Act and a digital portal to help Ghanaian families claim dormant bank funds. The think tank’s new policy brief argues that fixing the system does not require fresh government spending, only institutional reform. It points to Bank of Ghana (BoG) figures showing more than 167.8 million cedis in dormant funds moved to the central bank between 2016 and 2024, with nearly 70 percent of beneficiaries who tried to reclaim that money giving up partway through because of how complicated the process is. A separate ILAPI fact sheet puts a number on that complexity, estimating that families typically spend around 7,500 cedis and wait more than 32 weeks just to access a deceased relative’s funds. ILAPI’s proposal rests on four pillars. On the legal side, it wants a single harmonised law to replace the patchwork of rules currently spread across the Administration of Estates Act, the Wills Act, the Intestate Succession Act, the Banks and Specialised Deposit Taking Institutions Act, and the Insurance Act, which the group says leaves claimants facing overlapping requirements and inconsistent procedures depending on which institution holds the funds. The proposed law would standardise documentation for bank, pension and insurance claims, require institutions to proactively notify known beneficiaries using Ghana Card data to verify deaths, and set up a dedicated Next of Kin Claims Fund so unclaimed balances are ring fenced rather than absorbed into general government revenue. “Families cannot claim assets they do not know exist,” the brief says, backing a call for the Bank of Ghana to publish an annual public register of dormant accounts. On the digital side, ILAPI wants Ghana Card verification built into account opening and a National Beneficiary Claims Portal where people can check whether a deceased relative held financial assets, file claims online, upload documents and track progress, with the system cross checking against the Births and Deaths Registry automatically. For people without smartphones or reliable internet, the group is proposing a Legal Assistance for Inheritance Claims service offering free guidance through trained paralegals and USSD access. The remaining planks cover public awareness and oversight. ILAPI wants the National Commission for Civic Education to lead a nationwide campaign on wills, next of kin and inheritance rights, working with banks, religious and traditional leaders, and wants the subject folded into secondary school and adult education curricula. To keep pressure on regulators, it is also calling for the Bank of Ghana to publish an annual report detailing dormant accounts received, funds returned and claims still outstanding, alongside regular parliamentary oversight and audits, with sanctions for institutions that obstruct legitimate claims. The brief is the latest step in a campaign ILAPI has run since 2023, when it first flagged the scale of dormant funds sitting with the central bank. The group says Ghana already has the tools needed to act, pointing to the Ghana Card and GhanaPostGPS as existing infrastructure that could support the reforms without major new investment, and says it will keep pushing the issue through its Human Dignity and Inheritance Poverty Journal and an annual essay competition on the topic.