By Samuel Akumatey, GNA
Ho, Aug. 7, GNA- Mrs Beauty Emefa Narteh, the Executive Secretary of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), has called on citizens and activists to consider the fight against corruption as a core patriotic duty.
She said as the fight against corruption progressed, citizens should be encouraged to persist in the efforts, and help secure the sought change in behaviour.
Mrs Narteh was speaking at a stakeholder engagement in Ho with selected Civil Society Organisations (CSO)s in the Volta Region.
“Citizens must be ready to change the narrative on corruption,” she said, calling on all to not encourage bribery and other acts of corruption.
“We should not encourage such acts. Stoppage begins with us. We have to take the corruption fight as a personal fight,” she added.
Mrs Narteh said the corruption fight required committed champions to lead the change and called for personal sacrifices along the quest to a state of integrity.
“It will inconvenience us but we have to be determined. I want to encourage us that it can be done. It took citizens to make it possible. These are things that we want to commit to as citizens,” the Executive Secretary stated.
She noted that CSOs remained best positioned to push for change, and must, therefore, not renege on their efforts.
The meeting was part of the GACC’s “Regional CSOs Dialogue on Corruption”, and discussed Government’s response to proposed reforms to the anti-corruption regime in the country.
The regional dialogues fall under the Coalition’s “Building evidence for Increased Accountability in Ghana Through a Muti-stakeholder Accountability Initiative” project, which is a two-year undertaking that began in October 2020 and was funded by the Hewlett Foundation.
The dialogues facilitated assessments of the fight against corruption, as well as governance in the country, and the proposals were collated and tabled before the Nation’s leaders in an engagement.
Key among concerns was the Asset Declaration Bill, currently, before Parliament, which the SCOs maintained was weak and should be reconsidered.
CSOs were of the view that the Bill when passed, would be instrumental in the fight against grand corruption, and must, therefore, be crafted for effectiveness in corruption deterrence.
Other major deliberations revolved around the opaque management of the disability fund, opaque policies on political party financing, and the review of the 1992 Constitution.
Stakeholders also discussed challenges with local assembly revenue, the election of MMDCEs, and the limited understanding of Government protocols.
Madam Faustina Djabatey, the Communications officer for the GACC, reported that the Nation’s leadership had pledged the needed considerations for the proposals, and said there existed some resolve to work in the direction of change.
GNA
