Government, EU and GIZ officials at the launch of the project
The Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in partnership with the European Union (EU) has launched a project to strengthen the rule of law and fight against corruption in the country.
The $12.7million three-year project which started in July, 2024 will also support initiatives aimed at improving accountability under the laws of the country.
Programme Director, PAIReD, Astrid Kohl, speaking at the launch said the project objective is to strengthen the capacity of state actors in the fight against corruption, enhance the participation of civil society and the media in accountability process against the act and also promote digitalisation and collaboration between anti-corruption actors in the criminal justice chain.
Head of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Commissioner Joseph Whittal, explained that corruption is one of the activities affecting sustainable development, good governance and public trust in the country.
He said, “it undermines the rule of law, erodes confidence in public administration and diverts resources meant for national development”.
He further stated that the fight against corruption is not only a legal obligation but also morally important.
He added that the responsibility of CHRAJ is to promote the fundamental human rights of the people, enhance accountability and public service delivery, fight against corruption and enhance the integrity of public service.
Mr. Whittal explained that the project is a timely opportunity for the public sector and civil society organisations to gain resources to build capacity and advocate against corruption for the public to know how to hold public officers accountable.
Executive Secretary, Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, Beauty Narteh, also highlighted that the country loses $3 billion to corruption annually.
She emphasized that Ghana has retrogressed in the fight against corruption and was ranked 80 out of 180 countries.
She added that data from the afrobarometer survey in 2024 indicates that about 74% of Ghanaians say the level of corruption in the country has increased over the past years.
Madam Narteh further added that the fight against corruption is important indicating that the politicalisation of corruption has been the bane of the country.
She said corruption should rather be seen as an offense to the country and urged the public to resist, reject and report corrupt practices.
By Florence Asamoah Adom