The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), has called on Ghanaians to be optimistic as eradicating corruption in the country was achievable.
Mr Richard A Quayson, a CHRAJ Deputy Commissioner explained that the awareness and mechanism for reporting corrupt offenses which included whistleblowing over the years had increased.
“Most institutions have or in the process of establishing safe corruption reporting mechanisms at the workplace,” Mr Quayson stated at the 15th edition of the Monthly Stakeholders Engagement and Workers’ appreciation day seminar organised by the Ghana News Agency’s Tema Regional Office.
Speaking on the topic: “Is the fight against corruption a mirage or reality, the perspective of CHRAJ,” Mr Quayson explained that all major revenue generation institutions had gone digital reducing the opportunities of corruption.
He said the enforcement of the code of conduct for public officers’ asset declaration regime, conflict of interest rule, and the gift policy rolled out by the Public Service Integrity Programme, (PSIP) had intensified the fight.
The CHRAJ Deputy Commissioner said the Judicial Service’s Electronic Case Distribution System had been extended to all superior and circuit courts to avert practices that encouraged corruption within the judiciary.
He said progress had equally been made with more institutions adopting sexual harassment policies, introduction of Integrity Awards, enforcement of relevant laws and the rise in investigative journalism and Media exposé.
He, therefore, appealed to all Ghanaians to join in the campaign to stop the canker of corruption for the preservation of the nation’s future generation, as the act of corruption has the tendency to erode national gains.
Mr Quayson bemoaned that the monies being lost through the menace was having a devastating effect on the socio-economic development of the country.
Mr Francis Ameyibor, GNA Tema Regional Manager also entreated both public and private institutions to partner effectively with the media in their programmes and activities to prevent the incidence of corruption.
He said as a result of corruption, government could resource most of its institutions to perform their duties efficiently and effectively.
Mr Ameyibor said the government and other organisations were making several interventions to curb the canker; stakeholders needed to work as a team and combat corruption instead of using their strength, time and resources to battle each other.
He explained that the role of the media was critical in promoting good governance and controlling corruption, adding that the fight would bear little fruit without the media raising the awareness of public officials and the public to the dangers of corruption and the duty of every citizen to combat corruption.
Source GNA