Ghanaians have been asked to take full responsibility for the poor fight against corruption and not just point fingers at those in higher authority.
“It's easy to focus on institutions and blame them, but the point is that we citizens are the biggest supporters of corruption. Let us look within ourselves and take responsibility for the increased level of corruption in Ghana.
Mr. John Darko, Senior Law Lecturer, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) gave the advice during a media discussion on Saturday.
He said the development of Ghana depends to a large extent on the collective role played by the citizens and called on all to shun acts of corruption.
The lawyer noted that it was difficult to fight corruption because some people made huge profits from the illegal act and resisted the structures and efforts that were put in place to deal with cancer.
“You have teachers who leak exam questions to students, citizens who illegally connect electricity and water, drivers who charge exorbitant fares, shopkeepers who adjust weights or measures to deceive buyers, traditional authorities who go to police stations to plead for the release of offenders and soon."
“All these things that we overlook and claim to be trivial are working together to intensify acts of corruption in the country. If we all do the right thing in our bedrooms, it will show publicly in the way we go about our daily lives,” he said.
He advised against politicizing the fight against corruption, adding that law enforcement agencies should be allowed to work without interference.
Mr Darko said agencies should also be given autonomy and given the necessary resources.
Mr. Benjamin Essuman, Executive Director of Solidaire Ghana, said the corruption survey put Ghana in front of a "mirror" revealing the current state of the nation.
He called on Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, the Chief Justice, to take concrete steps to deal with alleged acts of corruption within the judiciary.
“Judiciary is the last hope for justice to prevail and if this area is also branded as corrupt, then there is no hope for the nation,” he added.
Mr. Essuman advised Mr. Kissi Agyebeng, the Special Prosecutor to introduce a reward system to encourage citizens to come forward with evidence of corrupt practices and expose law breakers.
The recently released Ghana Public Service Integrity Survey (GIPSS) revealed that Ghana lost approximately GHS 5 billion in cash in 2021 through bribery of public officials.
The survey was conducted by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in collaboration with the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
In addition to cash payment, which accounted for 84.8 percent of bribes paid, 13.3 percent of bribes paid were food and beverages; 9.7 percent, exchange for other services; 5 percent of valuables and 2.2 percent of animals.
33.6 percent of citizens gave bribes for speeding up proceedings; 15.8 percent as a sign of appreciation; 13.8 percent to avoid paying a fine; 10.8 percent to avoid problems and 3.1 percent to prevent utility cancellations.
The survey said that more than a quarter of the country's adult population (26.7 percent) paid a bribe to a public official in 2021.
It said most bribes were paid at the direct request of the public officials involved, as six out of 10 bribes paid (59.4 percent) were directly requested by those officials.
Findings from the survey showed that the Ghana Police Service, Immigration Service and Customs officers of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) were the three main institutions that received bribes.
They were followed by the Lands Commission, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Passport Agency officials and prosecutors, judges and magistrates, with elected government officials the least beneficiaries.
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