By Kodjo Adams, GNA
Accra, Sept. 25, GNA - The Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) has launched a new strategic plan (2020 to 2024) with a commitment to enforce all anti-corruption laws in the country.
The new strategic plan focused on educating the public on the forms of corruption and its impact on society, building a vibrant, robust and self-sustaining coalition by 2024, sustaining advocacy for law enforcement and campaigning for the strengthening of anti-corruption laws.
Nana Osei-Bonsu, the Board Chair, GACC, speaking at the event said, the country had good laws but lack enforcement because the investigative capacities are not adequate enough to allow prosecution of corrupt officials.
“We have not built the capacities and of our investigative institutions to a level to unearth and reveal the numerous malfeasance that are occurring in rapid regularity”, he added.
He said corruption was still rife and the perpetrators are living in a safe haven and called for a holistic approach to address phenomenon.
However, Ghana’s score on the Corruption Perception Index has dropped from a score of 48 in 2014 to 41 in 2018.
“We live in a time when our youth can no longer get jobs by merit but by association with powerful political and non-political figures. We need a new approach to fighting corruption, the approach that goes beyond a single actor, no matter how powerful that actor may be”.
He admonished government to engage civil society and the citizenry in the fight against corruption and apply the laws impartially to deter others.
Mr Osei-Bonsu called on government to provide a permanent office space for the operations of the Secretariat to ease the burden of rent to demonstrate to all the country’s desire to engage viable partners to prevent and fight corruption.
He said over the years, the GACC had engaged with stakeholders, including the organs of government such as the Ghana Audit Service and the Office of the Special Prosecutor, to prevent and prosecute corrupt officials.
Mr Andrew Barnes, the Australian Ambassador to Ghana encouraged the Coalition to continue with the fight against corruption because the act stifle economic growth and leads to poverty.
The Ambassador said eliminating corruption in the system would help the country to achieve its agenda of ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ and make the country a friendly environment for sustained investment.
Mr Amidu-Ibrahim-Tanko, the Chief Executive Officer, Star Ghana Foundation, commended GACC for the initiative, saying that, the plan would help restructure and refocus the Coalition’s operations in the fight against corruption.
He said Star Ghana would collaborate with GACC to promote anti-corruption efforts and integrity through sustained and effective coordination of state and non-state operators.
GNA
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