Fight corrupt practices now – Osafo Maafo tasks anti-corruption groups

Senor Minister, Yaw Osafo Maafo, has urged Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and other public anti-corruption regulatory institutions to enforce their existing laws to fight against high-profile corrupt practices in the country.

According to him, corruption is pervasive throughout Ghanaian society and, “is a serious problem across all sectors of the economy”.

Addressing participants at the First Social Accountability Multi Stakeholder’s Forum in Accra, Mr. Marfo whose speech was read on his behalf by Board Chairman of Ghana Audit Service, Prof. Dua Agyemang stressed the need for existing public anti-corruption institutions, such as the Economic and Organized Crimes Office (EOCO), Auditor General Office, State Prosecution Department, and the recently enacted Special Prosecutor’s Office to lead in the fight against corruption in Ghana.

He pointed out that, that social accountability was recognised as one of the tools that government can use to fight corrupt practices.

But more importantly, according to the senior minister, the fight against corruption must focus on the implementation of practical measures by way of increasing citizens and government engagement at the national, regional and district levels.

For his part, Deputy Director of Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Mr. Franklin Oduro implored the Akufo-Addo government to ride on the current public support and take significant action on “pervasive corruption in Ghana.”

He urged President Nana Akufo-Addo “to take decisive and concrete action on the growing list corruption cases in the country.”

But the CDD said the government’s commitment to fighting corruption should go “beyond the rhetoric, the mere setting up of institutions and enactment of laws.”

“Commitment to the anti-corruption could come in the form of adequately resourcing anti-corruption bodies”, he noted.

He assured that, CDD-Ghana and its CSO partners, as well as the media, will continue to be at the forefront of the campaign against corruption in the country.

The event which was attended by government officials, local governance experts, and civil society groups from the West African sub-region was under the theme, “Institutionalizing Social Accountability in Local Governance: The Successes, Gaps and the Way Forward”.

It aimed at creating a knowledge and information sharing platform for best practices on both supply and demand side accountability initiatives in Ghana and Africa.