Our Greatest Danger, beyond Poverty, is Corruption – Victor Brobbey

The Deputy Chairman in charge of General Services at the National Commission Civic Education, Mr. Victor Brobbey, has urged all citizens to respond to the clarion call to combat corruption, describing it as the greatest danger, besides poverty, we have had to grapple with as a people.

Addressing participants of the NCCE’s national dialogue, as part of activities scheduled under the “Strengthening the Rule of Law and the Fight against Corruption in Ghana” project, which is co-funded by the European Union and implemented by the GIZ, Mr. Brobbey expressed grave concern at the subtle but corrosive decline of the very values that underpin our democracy and shared humanity.

According to him, the provision of fertile grounds, either advertently or otherwise, for corruption to fester is a crisis of moral direction, undermining the practice of the rule of law, and serving as a threat to the observance and prevalence of true justice in the country. “Our revered institutions remain untainted, and there are stories of traditional authorities and religious leaders, who are supposed to serve as gatekeepers, demanding monetary favours before granting audience; how can we build a just society this way?”, Mr. Brobbey queried.

Corroborating these concerns was Mr. Kweku Lartey Obeng, a representative from the implementing partner, GIZ, who provided facts that painted the real picture of the nosediving course our morals and national values have taken. Mr. Obeng, in his address, indicated that in 2024, Ghana ranked 80^th out of 180 countries in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, with a score of 42/100, the lowest in five years. This, he emphasised, demonstrates the declining trust among the citizenry in the state’s ability to fight against corruption adequately. “The dialogue is thus an opportunity to create awareness, promote cooperation and transparency, and discuss strategies that can lead to the creation of an accountable and just society”, he added.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Chairman, Operations at the NCCE, Mr. Samuel Asare Akuamoah, in his closing remarks, pointed out that despite the public service's robust and bureaucratic system, it is unfortunate that some loopholes remain unsealed, allowing some public servants to attempt to cheat the system. He called for the law to take its course in such instances while advocating a more stringent ways to deal with perpetrators.

He finally implored participants to go back to reinforce the message on combating corruption within the communities they find themselves, intimating that “the fight will not be won by one, it takes a collective effort, and with unity, we will triumph in this fight”.