The acting Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mr. Richard Quayson and the Director of Anti-Corruption, Charles Ayamdoo at a day's seminar schooled media practitioners in the Ashanti Region about corruption and the role of the media in the fight against the canker.
Speaking to the media during the seminar, Mr. Quayson said a National Anti-corruption Action Plan (NACAP) has been formulated to combat corruption in the country in the next 10 years. Its main purpose is to create a sustainable democratic society in Ghana, which is founded on good governance and high ethics and integrity.
Objective of NACAP
He said the objective of NACAP is to build public capacity to condemn and fight corruption and make its practice a high risk, low gain activity. Another obligation is to institutionalize efficiency, accountability and transparency both in public and private life and not for profit making entities.
Mr. Quayson further said the task is huge, but it is a must to engage individuals, media and civil organizations to report and combat corruption as well as to conduct effective investigations and prosecution of people involved in corrupt acts.
Mr Quayson explained that the provision seeks to promote high standard of ethics in public service, ensure that public officials are accountable to the people and discharge their duties with responsibility, integrity, competence, and loyalty.
According to him, although much work remains ahead, CHRAJ has implemented various innovative strategies such as NACAP to support and stimulate the media and the general public to combat corruption.
The journalists who took part in the seminar were urged to depoliticize corruption and related crimes and make all necessary effort to shame corrupt officials as well as individuals through their reports in order to make it unattractive in Ghana.
The facilitators urged journalists to train in investigative journalism and help the public to create awareness for society to demand accountability from public officials.
Corruption is gaining grounds
He said corruption is gaining grounds in the country because of politicization of corrupt officials by the media and society.
On his part, Mr. Ayamdoo, the Director of Anti-Corruption said forms of corruption which include bribery, misappropriation, embezzlement, conflict of interest, extortion and fraud are well-known in Ghana and remain the main obstacles to economic development and the improvement of living conditions throughout Africa, and other regions of the world.
He said high cost of provisions of services, increase costs of businesses, high costs of infrastructural development, destruction of merit-based competition, violation of fundamental human rights and freedom among others are some of the negative effects of corruption.
“Any other way corruption is defined, affects society, community, religion and nations, its negative effects have long been recognized, and several nations are tackling this menace with all the seriousness it deserves.” He stated.
He added that Ghana has over the years strengthened and continues to strengthen the legislative framework by undertaking various public sector reforms and other strategies to combat corruption.
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