Tema-Ghana, Oc. 5, CDA Consult – The Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) has challenged African Governments to exhibit zero tolerance for corruption and equip anti-corruption bodies to arrest, investigate and prosecute corrupt officials.
“Once you have zero tolerance for corruption, you don’t countenance any person who displays, demonstrates, or has the potential to be corrupt by way of allegations against them or anything that comes up in the media space”, Mrs. Beauty Emefa Nartey, GACC Executive Secretary has stated.
She consequently urged the President to make clear or show his intolerance for corruption and support the battle against it prior to the general elections in 2024.
Mrs. Nartey, speaking at the Ghana News Agency Industrial News Hub Dialogue platform in Tema, noted the importance of the African government in general and the government of Ghana in particular to strengthen the rule of law to deal with issues of corruption.
She noted that African governments must exhibit a high level of intolerance for the scourge and step up their efforts to deal with anyone involved in any act of corruption across board.
The government must demonstrate that it does not accept corruption, she added, adding that anyone holding public position who has corruption allegations against them should not work for the government.
The GACC Executive Secretary added that since it is always challenging to obtain evidence in the battle against corruption, it would be crucial if these government officials operated in a transparent manner or in a way that prevented anyone from accusing them of being dishonest.
According to her, there are some corrupt circumstances where perceptions may be made up of 99 percent lies and one percent truth, and the one percent should not be accepted because the Sustainable Development Goals state that corruption is not acceptable in any form.
She noted that upholding the rule of law is essential to battling and eradicating corruption, particularly by improving state collaboration in legal procedures.
She voiced worry that the most recent Corruption Perception Index from Transparency International shows that “corruption is ubiquitous. Some cultures are undoubtedly more affected by corruption than others, and the types and severity of corruption may differ from one country to another.
“Corruption scandals are a bitter pill for a country to swallow, but on the other hand, they may trigger a sometimes necessary and always beneficial process of self-cleansing in a society.”
Mrs. Nartey likewise urged the President of Ghana to act right away to stop corrupt officials, institutions, and practises.
The GACC Executive Secretary added that the Afrobarometer corruption report also gave a very negative impression of the nation and our feeble attempts to combat it.
In the fight against corruption, Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Regional Manager for Ghana News Agency in Tema, advocated for a paradigm shift in the media: “naming and shaming has lost its potency; media practitioners must change their tactics to have a meaningful impact on the fight.”
In order to ensure that the battle against corruption is upscaled on all fronts, Mr. Ameyibor also urged anti-corruption players to engage the media in a practical manner.
