A new strategic plan with a commitment to enforce all anti-corruption laws in the country to focus on educating the citizenry on the forms of corruption and its impact has been launched.
The four-year
plan (2020-2024) will also focus on building a vibrant, robust and
self-sustaining coalition by 2024, sustaining advocacy for law enforcement and
campaigning for the strengthening of anti-corruption laws.
It is under the auspices of the Ghana
Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) to built the capacities of investigative
institutions to level to unearth and reveal numerous malfeasance that are
occurring in rapid regularity.
Launching it, Nana
Osei-Bonsu, the Board Chairman of the Coalition, lamented that the country had
good laws but lack of enforcement because the investigative capacities are not
adequate enough to allow prosecution of corrupt officials.
“Corruption is still rife and perpetrators
are living in safe haven and there is the need for holistic approach to address
phenomenon however, Ghana’s score on the Corruption Perception Index has
dropped from score of 48 in 2014 to 41 in 2018.
“We live in time when our youth can no longer
get jobs by merit but by association with powerful political and non-political
figures, we need new approach to fighting corruption that goes beyond single
actor, no matter how powerful that actor may be, need for the government to
engage civil society and the citizenry in fight against corruption and apply
laws impartially to deter others.
“The government must provide permanent office space for
operations of secretariat to ease burden of rent to demonstrate to the citizenry
desire to engage viable partners to prevent and fight corruption since over the
years, the coalition has engaged with stakeholders, including organs of the
government to prevent and prosecute corrupt officials,” Nana Osei-Bonsu
pointed out.
Andrew
Barnes, the Australian Ambassador to Ghana, encouraged the coalition to
continue with fight against corruption because the act stifled economic growth
and leads to poverty. Eliminating corruption will help achieve agenda of Ghana
Beyond Aid towards a friendly environment for sustained investment.
Amidu-Ibrahim-Tanko, the Chief Executive
Officer, Star Ghana Foundation, commended GACC for the initiative because the
plan would help restructure and refocus operations in fight against corruption
and assured of foundation’s collaboration with coalition to promote
anti-corruption efforts, integrity through sustained, efficient and effective
coordination of state and non-state operators. -myjoyonline.com
