Accra, Dec. 10, GNA – Mr Richard Quayson, the Deputy Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), has said progress reports received since 2015 have shown that the fight against corruption in the country was achievable.
He said after the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP) five years ago the number of institutions reported to have implemented their roles have moved from 19 to about 182 by 2018 with 101 out of 135 broad activities at various levels of implementation.
Mr Quayson said this in his report during a ceremony held in Accra to commemorate the International Anti-Corruption Day and climax the Anti-Corruption and Transparency (ACT) week.
He said awareness of the evils of corruption and mechanism for reporting corrupt offenses which include whistle blowing has also increased.
« Many institutions have or are in the process of establishing safe corruption reporting mechanisms at the work place, » Mr Quayson said.
He said all major revenue generation institutions have gone digital and thereby reducing the opportunities for corruption.
Mr Quayson 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) has also intensified the fight.
He said the Judicial Service’s Electronic Case Distribution System has been extended to all superior and circuit courts to avert practices that encourage corruption within the judiciary.
Mr Quayson said progress has 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.
Madam Diana Acconcia, European Union (EU) Ambassador to Ghana, said the EU is interested in the fight against corruption in the country because corruption stifled the growth of the nation and the EU is equally in support with the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda.
She said corruption was common to many nations and its eradication needed joint efforts that is why the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted and EU and Ghana are part.
