Seminar on reporting corruption held at Obuasi

Obuasi, Nov 11, GNA - A day's seminar on reporting corrupt practices in the society has been held at Obuasi with a call on Ghanaians to do everything possible to help curb the canker.

The seminar which was organized by the Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre (ALAC) of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), in collaboration with the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), was under the theme: "Reportng corruption - our contribution to building a just and democratic Ghana". It was attended by identifiable groups including chiefs, Assembly members, Heads of Department, Media practitioners and Civil Society Organizations.

Mr John Alexande Kobina Ackon, the Obuasi Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) who made the call, added that corruption was a poison which no society was free from. Therefore, the fight against it should be "everybody's Business".

"The fight against corruption cannot and should not be left to the government alone; ordinary citizens, traditional and religious leaders have a role and a responsibility to join the fight against corruption", he said. Mr Ackon urged Ghanaians to change the attitude of worshipping wealth without considering the source of the wealth. In his presentation on the effects of corruption on national development, Mr George Amoh, Project Coordinator of ALAC, noted that Ghana could see massive development like the industrialised countries if corruption ceased to exist in the country for two years. "The cost of corruption is enormous, covering the loss of development funds, retarding of economic growth, capital flight and the inflation of administrative costs", he said. Mr Amoh added that corruption undermined democracy and good governance as well as infrastructural development. "Monies intended for schools, roads and hospitals go to individuals". Mrs Cynthia Mattinson from the Regional Directorate of CHRAJ, called on the society to have trust in the institutions set up to help fight corruption in the country. "We should be each other's watch as far as fighting corruption is concerned". Speaking on the topic "mechanisms for reporting corruption in Ghana", Mrs Mattinson said CHRAJ, the Media, the Whistleblower's Act, the Police Service and the Attorney General's Department, were all available avenues for reporting corrupt practices in the society.