Tamale: Madam Mary Awelena Addah, Executive Director of Transparency International Ghana (TI Ghana), has called on Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), trade unions, and pressure groups to unite in efforts to combat corruption and strengthen Ghana's governance systems. She emphasized that the anti-corruption drive has so far remained confined to a small group, mainly CSOs and a few other actors, whose efforts had not been citizen-driven sufficiently to achieve the desired impact.
According to Ghana News Agency, Madam Addah was speaking at an anti-corruption initiative for enhancing governance and accountability workshop in Tamale, organized by TI Ghana, the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), and the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), with support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). She stressed the importance of sustaining consistent pressure on governments to address corruption, warning that past administrations had often slowed their anti-corruption efforts after assuming office.
The initiative aims to engage stakeholders across the Northern, Middle Belt, and Coastal regions to advocate reforms in anti-corruption laws and institutional frameworks. It also seeks to build a critical mass to strengthen Ghana's integrity systems, scale up nationwide advocacy campaigns, create inclusive spaces for dialogue, and encourage citizens to pledge their commitment to transparency through the Pledge Against Corruption (PAC).
Mrs. Beauty Emefa Narteh, Executive Secretary of GACC, noted that tackling corruption was critical to Ghana's economic recovery, particularly under the current International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. She added that without strong governance, the benefits of such interventions could be undermined. 'Corruption drains the very resources that could help us meet our commitments under the IMF programme and drive national development. This is why every citizen, from policymakers to the grassroots, must play an active role in fighting it,' she stated.
Mrs. Narteh urged Ghanaians to make the fight against corruption both a collective and personal duty, and to uphold integrity in their daily activities. Mr. Mahama Adam, a representative of the Sagnarigu Traditional Area, commended TI Ghana and partners for the initiative and called on the government and other law enforcement agencies to prioritize enforcing policies and programmes that would ensure that corruption is minimized in the country.