Tema, Ghana – Mrs. Beauty Emefa Narteh, the Executive Secretary of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), has called upon Ghanaians to hold their government accountable for its efforts in combating corruption, as outlined in its manifesto promises.
Speaking at the Ghana News Agency's Tema Industrial News Hub platform dedicated to the fight against corruption, Mrs. Narteh emphasized the importance of evaluating a government's commitment to addressing corruption by comparing its actions in power to the promises made in its manifesto.
Over the years, political leaders have often claimed to have made significant strides in the fight against corruption, but Mrs. Narteh stressed the need to assess these claims using data and evidence.
She noted that concerns had been raised about the normalization of corruption in Ghana, making it endemic, and urged that this issue not be ignored.
Mrs. Narteh highlighted data collected from various sources, including the Ghana Statistical Service, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in the Ghana Integrity of Public Services Survey, which painted a troubling picture of corruption in the country.
The Afro Barometer Report also indicated that over 50 percent of those surveyed perceived corruption as a problem within the presidency, which posed challenges to the government's anti-corruption efforts.
Mrs. Narteh referred to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and its Election 2020 Manifesto, specifically focusing on the sub-theme “Governance, Corruption, and Public Accountability.”
The NPP's manifesto outlined commitments to enhance the financing of governance and anti-corruption institutions, including the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General, the Office of the Special Prosecutor, the Office of the Auditor General, the National Commission for Civic Education, CHRAJ, and the Economic and Organised Crime Organisation.
These commitments aimed to enable these institutions to recruit, train, and retain dedicated staff to bolster the fight against corruption.
Additionally, the NPP pledged to provide resources to the Right to Information Commission to effectively implement the Right to Information Law, further supporting anti-corruption efforts.
Mrs. Narteh stressed that citizens could use these promises as a reference point to assess the NPP-led government's performance in curbing corruption and related activities.
Reporting by Laudia Sawer. Editing by Mariam Aminu.
