Consultant blames ‘African culture’ for corruption
A management consultant,Mr Baba Mahama, has blamed the high incidence of corruption and lack of integrity in high places partly on the African culture.
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Defining culture as “the software or collective programming of the mind”, Mr Mahama said Ghanaians were operating in a society characterised by high power distance, where “those who are entrusted with power begin to make its preservation their primary concern. Over time, power holders develop a sense of entitlement, and they will do anything to keep themselves in power,” including lying to everybody and bribing everybody, just to stay in power.
Mr Mahama, who is a former Managing Director of Vanguard Insurance and a Vice President of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI), was speaking at a Forum on Integrity organised by the fellowship in Accra in collaboration with the Office of Head of Civil Service. It was attended by senior civil servants, including Chief Directors and heads of department.
He said another aspect of the Ghanaian modern day culture was that “it is a fast paced competitive world full of pressure, where the emphasis is on belonging and being a good member of the family”. In this culture, he said the office holder was under pressure to satisfy the demands of the family, friends and party foot-soldiers. “With pressure comes the temptation to cut corners or bend the truth”.
A third aspect of Ghanaian culture he identified was that “we live in a hedonistic society. In this society, the desire for comfort will talk us into doing things that we will regret later”
Challenges
On how to overcome the challenges of integrity, Mr Mahama cautioned that “Integrity is not a gift. It is a matter of deliberate choice, not circumstance. It is disciplined, determined, and demonstrated behavior. Therefore, he urged, it was up to the individual to decide his or her personal value system and then align their priorities.
He also asked people who desire to improve their character and their chances of success to take extra care with their finances by living within your means and put their family ahead of their work because having a strong and stable family creates a launching pad for many other successes during a career and provides a contented landing place at the end of it.
Corruption
The FGMFI national president, Dr George Prah, said while the FGBMFI applauded the speed with which committees of inquiry were set up to investigate acts of corruption and while the fellowship appreciated the vehemence with which the society condemned these acts, “the truth remains that this nation is yet to see an example of any official who has been punished beyond the public opprobrium which the exposure of the crime receives during sittings of the Public Account Committee of Parliament”.
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The FGBMFI president cautioned that “as long as the trophies of corruption and greed are put on show in the form of mansions, sleek limousines and unchecked flamboyant lifestyles, so long will everybody think that lack of integrity does not matter”.
The forum was chaired by Mrs Pricilla Asare Bediako, Chief Director of the Office of the Head of Civil Service.