The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) is calling for a shift in the fight against corruption, urging citizens to take the lead in driving change to achieve meaningful progress.
Fund Raising Manager of GII, Michael Boadi, emphasized the need to move away from the traditional top-down approach, which has delivered limited results over the years.
Instead, he proposed building citizens’ capacity to understand the severe impacts of corruption, enabling them to hold political leaders accountable and educate their communities on behaviors that fuel corruption.
Boadi made these remarks at a two-day anti-corruption workshop held in Juaso, within the Asante-Akim South Municipality. The event was organized by GII in collaboration with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE).
It brought together representatives from various local civil society organizations, community-based groups, social auditing clubs, women’s associations, youth groups, and individuals with disabilities.
The workshop is part of a broader initiative titled “Strengthening Accountability, Rule of Law, and Institutions,” which is being executed by GII in partnership with the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) and the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC).
Supported by funding from the European Union (EU), the project is being rolled out across 24 districts with the aim of empowering citizens to take an active role in combating corruption.
Boadi highlighted the importance of collaborative efforts among the three organizations, which previously operated separately in their anti-corruption initiatives.
He stressed the need to raise public awareness about corruption, not only to empower citizens to demand accountability from those in authority but also to encourage them to refrain from engaging in corrupt practices themselves.
“If there is a responsibility to guard the resources of the State then that responsibility lies squarely with the people, and therefore we designed this project to equip the citizens with the capacity to hold office holders accountable and also lead the campaign against corruption in the communities,” Boadi stated.
He also expressed concern over the significant financial losses Ghana has sustained due to corruption, as highlighted in reports by the Auditor General.
Mr Boadi underscored the necessity of a united effort to combat this ongoing problem, pointing out that every government under the Fourth Republic has faced accusations of financial misconduct despite the existence of anti-corruption laws.
Mr Boadi argued that it is time to adopt a different approach, advocating for a bottom-up strategy where citizens are empowered to take an active role in the fight against corruption.
Patrick Asare, a representative from the NCCE, echoed this sentiment, stating that the battle against corruption must start at the individual level. He urged participants to avoid corrupt practices in their daily lives and challenged the misconception that only public officeholders are corrupt, noting that corruption affects all sectors of society.