The Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) has urged Ghanaians, particularly the youth, to guard against abuse of power and corruption and hold individuals and institutions accountable.
In a statement issued by the Executive Secretary, GACC, Beauty Emefa Narteh, in Accra, yesterday, to commemorate Africa Union Anti-corruption Day, the coalition said citizens needed to commit to upholding electoral integrity and safeguarding democracy.
“We must demonstrate patriotism by rejecting all forms of corrupt practices and opposing electoral violence. Let us take action and report all acts of electoral corruption to the appropriate authorities,” the statement said.
The African Union observes July 11 as the African Anti-Corruption Day, marking the adoption of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC).
This year’s theme, ‘Effective Whistleblowers Protection Mechanism: A Critical Tool in the Fight against Corruption,’ highlights the crucial role of whistleblowers.
The GACC statement said the fight against corruption could not stop because corruption continuous to impede development in many African countries, including Ghana with the impact visible through inadequate healthcare facilities, deteriorating roads, lack of public housing, weakened institutions and undermining of citizens’ perceptions of fairness.
“Financially, corruption costs Africa about $300 billion annually. In Ghana, the impact of corruption is seen in Ghana’s declining performances on international corruption indices; Ghana score 43/100, ranked 70th out of 180 countries; the alarming increase in petty corruption (17.4 million bribes paid in a year), deepening levels of grand corruption among public officials and institutions (Ghana lost more than GH¢15,05 billion in 2022, as shown in the Auditor-General’s report on Public Boards, Corporations and other Statutory Institutions),” it said.
The statement emphasised youth involvement in anti-corruption efforts, building on last year’s engagement of 16,000 young Ghanaians.
For 2024, the statement said, the coalition plans activities in 33 districts across 14 regions, focusing on voter education for the upcoming election.
Supported by the Hewlett Foundation, it said the engagement aimed to educate first-time voters and students about electoral corruption, whistleblowing, and maintaining electoral integrity.
The GACC urged unity in promoting transparency and accountability.
“Let us collectively reaffirm our pledge and renew our commitment to the principles of transparency, accountability, and integrity. Together, we can build a corruption-free society where public trust is upheld, and democratic principles remain steadfast,” the statement said.
BY TIMES REPORTER
The post Youth urged to guard against abuse of power, corruption appeared first on Ghanaian Times.