National Anti-Corruption Action Plan NACAP

A national draft document dubbed: “National Anti-corruption Action Plan (NACAP)” would be put before Parliament by April for approval as a national non-partisan document to be used in fighting corruption in Ghana.

The NACAP document which is currently being co-ordinated by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), would serve as a working document to be used by individuals and institutions as a working document. Mr Charles Ayamdoo, Director of Anti-corruption of CHRAJ made this known when addressing participants in Tamale on Monday at a day’s regional consultative workshop on NACAP.

He said the Vice President John Dramani Jackson in December 2009, inaugurated a 24-member working group with a mandate of coming out with the draft document, which must be devoid of political coloration with the interest of the State as paramount.

He said the NACAP was being supported by the Danish International Development Agency, while CHRAJ was providing leadership role and co-ordinating the development of the document. Mr Ayamdoo said corruption was not a new phenomenon in Ghana, saying: “It has been with us for a very long time and all the coup d’états since 1966 had justified their actions on corruption and about 47 commissions had also been set up to investigate corruption”.

He cited a recent survey which indicated that in Ghana, 80 per cent of funds meant for the health sector do not get to the sector. Mr Ayamdoo said corruption pervaded all aspect of the social fabric with astronomical consequences.

He noted that although Ghana’s score in the recent Transparency International report had improved to 4.1 per cent, it was still far from good for a nation keen in fighting corruption. He observed that although the whistle blower’s act had been passed, there was still little knowledge about it, saying the Ghana Police Service, CHRAJ and other six institutions had been mandated to deal with issues bothering on the act.

Mr Ayamdoo said the identity of a whistle blower must be protected by the mandated institutions and caution whistle blowers to rush to the media with information.

Mr San Nasamu Asabigi, Deputy Northern Regional Minister noted that corruption was caused by institutional weaknesses, poor ethical standards, lack of transparency and accountability and weak enforcement of laws and regulations. Most of the participants at the forum identified political interference as a big obstacle in the fight against corruption and called for the situation to be reversed.

They also called for political will on the part of governments’ in power in committing action and resources at tackling the issue.



Source: GNA , 01-Mar-2011