Participants at a day’s stakeholders meeting on enhancing public accountability and environmental governance in Tamale have advocated strong avenues to name and shame people found guilty for corruption.
They contended that there was an urgent need for discipline and change in attitude in responding to corruption and issues related to the canker by urging citizens to demand transparency and hold duty bearers accountable in the use of public resources.
The workshop, which was organised by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), was aimed at soliciting and collating participant’s views, ideas and concerns on corruption, and to make recommendations on how to reduce corruption to ensure equal access to resources and accountability in the use of public resources in the country.
The stakeholders were drawn from the National Health Insurance Authority, the Northern Regional Health Directorate, the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Traditional authorities, Assembly members, and Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) among others.
The workshop was part of the NCCE’s Anti-Corruption, Rule of law and Accountability Programme (ARAP), and supported by the European Union (EU).
ARAP is aimed at reducing corruption and improving on accountability and compliance of citizens on the rule of law in the country.
Mr Stephen Azantilow, the Northern Regional Director of CHRAJ, said the country’s’ constitution made provisions for the protection and welfare of the citizenry and ensured justice, freedom, and probity and accountability.
He said corruption was one of the major challenges in the country that affected the rights and welfare of citizens and noted that the Criminal Offence Act and the establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP) were part of efforts to help fight the canker and there was more to be done in the response against corruption.
Mr Azantilow encouraged citizens to report issues of corruption to the right authorities, such as CHRAJ, the Ghana Police Service, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), and other Anti-corruption organisations for the necessary actions to be taken for the benefit of current and future generations.
Mr Christian Aboagye, Project Accountant, at the NCCE-EU project said corruption was a serious canker affecting the socio-economic development of the country and indicated that the engagement with stakeholders through ARAP would help to reduce corruption and create avenues for sustainable development.
He announced that the stakeholders’ engagement would be held across the regions in the country, adding that the concerns and recommendations raised by the stakeholders would be drafted into a Communique and used at the NCCE’s soon to be held districts and community level durbars, to educate citizens on the effects of corruption and the need to demand accountability from duty bearers.
