Establish special fund for national anti-corruption action plan — Report

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) should facilitate the establishment of a dedicated fund to support activities regarding implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP) across various sectors of the economy, an evaluation report on the country’s 10-year strategy to fight corruption has recommended. 

The report has also recommended that CHRAJ should spearhead the mobilisation of long-term funding for anti-corruption initiatives to ensure that political leaders are committed to implementing anti-corruption policies.

“Regular public statements from the highest levels of government reaffirming zero tolerance for corruption and demonstrating transparency and accountability can set a right tone of integrity across the public sector,” the report also recommended.

Again, the report recommended that CHRAJ should make conscious efforts to engage more with local communities, traditional authorities and incorporate a theory of change and a mid-term evaluation to identify successes and weaknesses that would shape the remaining years of the implementation of phase two of the action plan. 

NACAP highlights

The NACAP strategic plan was launched 10 years ago as a coordinated policy document for combating corruption in Ghana, with the objective of building public capacity to condemn and fight corruption and make it a high-risk, low-gain activity.

It also institutionalised efficiency, accountability and transparency in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors by engaging individuals, the media and civil society organisations in reporting and combating corruption.

The final evaluation report on phase one of NACAP, spanning 10 years, was launched in Accra today (April 4) with a renewed commitment from all stakeholders in the fight against corruption.

Key highlights of the report found that NACAP activities aligned with the operational goals, needs and priorities of implementing institutions in addressing corruption issues and practices.

It was found that the digitisation of public services had helped to streamline their operations to improve cost efficiency by reducing the cost of operations of both public and private sector institutions.

The report further found that NACAP had improved institutional framework for the various anti-corruption agencies to collaborate in the fight against corruption.

That, the report indicated, had empowered the public sector institutions to effectively interact and manage the private sector institutions by compelling them to conform to laid down procedures, structures and systems to reduce corruption.

Commitment

The Deputy Chief of Staff and Chairperson of the NACAP High-level implementation committee, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, expressed the government’s commitment to satisfying the anti-corruption international obligations of the state.

Through the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) campaign promise, initiation of legislation to prohibit political appointees, politically exposed persons and all serving public officials from purchasing state assets, enactment of the Conduct of Public Officers Bill into law, she said the government would sustain efforts towards reducing, if not eradicating corruption.

She said countries such as the Dominican Republic and Zambia had used strategies such as strengthening anti-corruption institutions, early warning systems of corruption detection, the use of e-government platforms and digital tools to reduce opportunities for corruption, among others, to address and reduce corruption.

She called on all stakeholders to rally behind the government to help root out corruption.

“I must indicate also that fighting corruption is a shared responsibility. We in government will do our part, and I call on you, state and non-state actors, to be actively involved; it is an important national duty for us all,” she said. 

CHRAJ    

The Commissioner of CHRAJ, Dr Joseph Whittal, explained that the NACAP was adopted because the country was faced with immense growing public concern about the scale of corruption and its impact on society.

The strategic plan, he said, was the first holistic, comprehensive and plan built on lessons learned from previous anti-corruption measures.

Over the past 10 years, he said, CHRAJ and its implementing partners created structures, including High-Level Implementation Committee (HiLIC), the NACAP Implementation Support Unit at CHRAJ, to ensure implementation in an effective and coordinated manner.

He added that the recommendation from  phase one of NACAP would inform the future design and development of an even more effective phase two of the strategy.