Takoradi: Stakeholders drawn from the public and private space are worried about the growing incidence of 'paying for employment', protocols in employment while qualified and competent talents and skills are ignored.
According to Ghana News Agency, they also spoke against vote buying by politicians, donations of cash by individuals to fund political activities, sextortion, and the delay in the release of government subvention in the public sector, which provides a leeway for servants of the state to collect unapproved fees.
Other issues highlighted include the trivialization of issues by some security officers when these unethical and corrupt behaviors were reported, finger-pointing, and the victimization of people who are bold enough to report corrupt practices. There is also a call for retooling journalists on investigative journalism to enable them to shed more light on these issues.
The stakeholders expressed these sentiments at the Anti-Corruption Initiative for Enhancing Governance and Accountability engagement organized by Transparency International Ghana, Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, and the Africa Centre for Energy Policy in Takoradi in the Western Region. The initiative engaged CSOs, trade unions, and pressure groups to mobilize support against corruption.
Madam Araba Dennis, the Executive Director of African Women International, an NGO, said despite various laws, the country continued to slack on corruption indexes, with a recent bribery and corruption survey by the Ghana Statistical Survey showing that people were even willing to give bribes. The survey established a 40 percent rate of the act among Ghanaians, while gifts to influence were also gaining ground.
Madam Araba Dennis expressed concern at the spate of political campaigns and vote buying, which not only deprived quality human resources from serving the state but also fueled huge corruption in the political space, affecting socio-economic development.
The stakeholders called for the removal of the indemnity clauses in the Constitution and ensured strict enforcement of asset declaration, including opening envelopes and publishing details as such.
Corruption, according to Mr. Etse Gomado, a programme officer with Transparency International Ghana, had become monotonous in daily conversation and engagement of the state, requiring bold actions for results.
Madam Mary Awelena Addah, the Executive Director of Transparency International, Ghana, said, "we now have to root out corruption from the system.we continue to nib it in the bud." Corruption, she noted, had eroded public trust and distorted socio-economic development outcomes, calling for bold and credible policies to root it out. Madam Addah told the stakeholders that the responsibility heavily depended on citizens to end the practice.
Nana Egya Kwamina XI, the Chief of Apremdo, emphasized that schools and institutions must teach the national patriotic songs and emblems as a key allegiance to the state rather than self. "The future of Ghana must be bright and posterity can judge us right, but it will start from now, the reorientation of our minds for growth," he added.