The two-day sensitisation exercise formed part of the Strengthening Accountability, Rule of Law, and Institutional Responsiveness in Ghana project, which is being undertaken with support from the European Union.
The project, being implementing by CDD-Ghana, Ghana Integrity Initiative, and GACC, seeks to enhance the watchdog role of civil society organisations and citizen groups to advocate for and promote reforms on accountability and rule of law in the country.
Mrs Beauty Emefa Narteh, Executive Secretary of GACC, raised concern on the impact of corruption on the country.
She said corruption was the major cause of poor service delivery by institutions, poverty, unemployment, and underdevelopment, which undermines public trust.
She said duty-bearers and citizens paid little attention to the fight against corruption, saying “We are using this project to educate and empower citizens to understand the corruption situation in Ghana and why they must actively support addressing the challenge.”
She said “People need to understand how corruption affects them, and we have realized that many citizens are standing on the fence because they do not see how corruption affects them negatively. That’s why we are using this medium to sensitize citizens about the negative effects of corruption on Ghana’s development.”
Mrs Narteh said citizens must leverage laws and institutions such as the Office of the Special Prosecutor, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Right to Information Act amongst others to fight corruption for the growth and development of the country.
Mr Ahmed Tijani Mahamud, Kumbungu District Director of CHRAJ, urged participants to work in their communities to help eliminate corruption to the barest minimum.
He advised the public to take keen interest in reporting cases related to corruption to the appropriate quarters including CHRAJ for redress.
Madam Janet Ameseya, Kumbungu District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education, said the fight against corruption was a shared responsibility and urged participants to share the knowledge by engaging their community members and various youth groups on the issue.
GNA
