National anti-corruption draft document to be in parliament

Tamale, March 01, GNA - A national draft document dubbed 91National Anti-corruption Action Plan (NACAP)" will be put before parliament by Apr= il for debate and subsequent approval as a national non-partisan document to b= e used in fighting corruption.

The NACAP document, which is being coordinated by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), will serve as a working document to be used by both individuals and institutions when passed by parliament as a working document.

Mr. Charles Ayamdoo, Director of Anti-corruption of CHRAJ, was addressing some participants in Tamale on Monday at a day's regional consultative workshop on the NACAP. He said the Vice President in December 2009, inaugurated a 24-member working group with a mandate of coming out with the draft document which must be devoid of political coloration with the interest of the state as paramount.

He said the NACAP is being supported by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and CHRAJ was providing leadership role as well as coordinating its development.

Mr. Ayamdoo said a recent survey showed in Ghana 80 percent of funds meant for the health sector do not actually get to the sector. He said although Ghana's score in the recent Transparency Internation= al report had improved to 4.1, it was still far from good for a nation keen in fighting corruption.

He said although the Whistle Blower's Act had been passed, there was little knowledge about its passage. Mr. Sam Nasamu Asabigi, the Deputy Northern Regional Minister, said corruption occurred in both the private and public sectors but it was particularly odious in the public sector.

Most of the participants at the forum identified political interference as a big obstacle in the fight against corruption and called for non interference by politicians in the work of state institutions as a way of fighting the canker. They also called for political will on the part of governments to be committed to tackling the issue.