The first Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Ministers of Justice Conference to brainstorm on how to control cross-border corruption and enforce sub-regional protocols to deal with the problem began in Accra on Monday.
The two-day conference, which is a prelude to the forthcoming second global forum on corruption in the Netherlands, is organized by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the German government on the theme: "Collaboration against corruption in the sub-region."
The Ministers will evaluate ECOWAS anti-corruption provisions and the coalition approach to the promotion of national integrity and come out with a joint declaration on the anti-corruption campaign, which will be presented at the global forum.
Vice-President Alhaji Aliu Mahama who opened the conference tasked the participants to establish effective norms and regulations for dealing with corruption to end the desperate global search for a possible solution to the problem.
He said despite the goodwill the first global forum on fighting corruption held in the US enjoyed, it failed to achieve the desired effect. "As the second forum in The Hague beckons, this is the appropriate time for us in this region to make sure we have a unified position on the various issues involved. "We have a responsibility to make our sub-region a place where investors feel comfortable to do business."
Alhaji Mahama cautioned the Ministers not to spend time discussing stories and gossip about instances of corruption in the advanced countries and international institutions like the World Bank but rather examine the institutions they have developed to deal with the problem. "When we have finished providing the basic needs for our people...then we might afford the luxury of indulging in sterile debates about the level of corruption in our countries," he said.
The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, said corruption is a major impediment to economic growth, foreign investor confidence and democratic stability in the sub-region hence the need for the conference to adopt and enforce the zero-tolerance approach by Ghana to combat it.
The government has expressed its strong commitment to stamping out corruption from the Ghanaian society.
The A-G expressed the hope that the conference would provide members of the community the opportunity to share the diversity of national experiences in controlling corruption to address the crucial issues relating to existing national enforcement mechanisms.
General Sheikh Omar Diara, Deputy Secretary-General of ECOWAS said the conference is a timely initiative to facilitate efforts by Ghana to boost sub-regional integration.
Widespread corruption in the sub-region the General observed is undermining good governance and weakening the democratic values cherished by the people. blogsCorruption, he said, is also an affront to market economy since it impedes development of enterprises and increases the cost of business transactions.
The acting Chief Justice, Mr. Justice Edward Wiredu who chaired the function called on governments in the sub-region to improve on the working conditions of the judiciary to be able to work in good conscience and refrain from engaging in acts that would compromise on their ability to combat corruption.
He said the extremely low salary and the obsolete equipment the judiciary use in Ghana are not conducive to check corruption. Ghana's judiciary itself has come under intense criticism for allegedly been corrupt.
Meanwhile the World Bank has pledged support for Ghana's trumpeted "zero tolerance for corruption" under the Kufuor administration.
World Bank Representative in Ghana, Peter Harrods said on Monday that the zero tolerance for corruption initiative adopted by Ghana has now taken the centre stage of the dialogue between ECOWAS states and their international development partners on efforts to combat poverty.
"Without legal systems that root out and discourage corruption...real development is not possible," he said in a solidarity message at a conference of Ministers of Justice in the Sub-region in Accra to combat corruption.
Mr. Harrods said the absence of the rule of law and efficient legal systems to regulate commercial transactions in the sub-region would hamper efforts to eradicate poverty.
The German Ambassador, Christian Nakonz, said corruption, which is a global problem, requires a holistic approach to fight it. "The issue, therefore, is not one of pointing accusing fingers, but rather find ways and means to deal with this complex problem, each country on its own and all of us together," he said.
The UNDP Representative in Ghana, Alfred Fawundu said the global campaign against corruption could only succeed if it is based on strong local initiatives, which promote a multi-stakeholder participatory approach.
Such an approach, he said, should take into consideration a systematic drawing on data and analysis and communication techniques that provide for accurate, transparent and timely information to the public on corruption and how to combat it.
Mr. Yaw Asamoah, a representative of the Ghana Integrity Initiative, advocated the need for an independent, impartial and informed judiciary to help combat the cancer.
Mrs. Leonora Kyeremanteng, of the Ghana Anti-corruption Coalition, said efforts by governments in the sub-region to combat corruption through morality campaigns and punishment of offenders have not been effective due to lack of the political will, poor adherence to the rule and inadequate public sector remuneration.
She said a good anti-corruption strategy must be multi-disciplinary and participatory including research, investigation and prosecution of corruption related offences.
