By Benard Worlali Awumee
Keta, (V/R), July 27, GNA – The Centre for Democratic Development, Ghana (CDD-GH) in partnership with Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), and the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) have engaged stakeholder groups on anti-corruption efforts and its related issues in the Keta Municipality.
The two-day workshop, with funding support from the European Union (EU), was aimed at strengthening accountability, rule of law, and Institutional Responsiveness.
Madam Sharon Willis Brown, Programmes Officer at CDD-GH, told the Ghana News Agency that “The programme was meant to address the various forms of corruption, explore reporting avenues, and emphasise the importance of civic engagement in anti-corruption efforts at the local level.”
Participants were exposed to issues such as the various forms of corruption, duties of citizens in the corruption fight, and various anti-corruption laws including the Right to Information law, the Whistle-blower Act, and the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
Others include how to develop an action plan on corruption advocacy and how to use Advocacy and Legal Advice Complaint (ALAC) platforms to report cases.
Mr Edem Senanu, a Consultant at CDD-GH, in a presentation, called on participants to identify, report, and act on corruption-related cases they come across which highlighted the usage of the Whistle-blowers Act.
According to him, corruption needed to be tackled at the local level, hence the need for the workshop to equip participants in that regard.
“Identifying corrupt practices is not enough but acting on it by reporting to the appropriate authorities for necessary action is key in this fight.”
For the advocacy action plans, participants were taught how to mobilise relevant stakeholders to an identified case, deduce timelines for it, and submit cases to the relevant authorities.
During the workshop, participants had the chance to identify corruption-related issues within their communities and develop an action plan on how to advocate against and report them.
Elikem Gadzekpo, Legal and Policy Officer at CDD-G, said the various anti-corruption laws must be studied very well before being applied in the advocacy process.
She explained why advocates needed to apply the relevant laws, identify relevant partners, and how to mobilise them for a change.
Some participants, after the workshop, expressed their satisfaction with the encounter.
They revealed that the engagement has broadened their knowledge of general corruption and corruption-related activities, as well as how the laws work about corruption-related activities.
They promised to serve as watchdogs in their various communities.
Earlier, the team went to Ketu South Municipality and would be expected to be in South Tongu and other Districts across the Region.
The engagement saw participants from civil society organisations, community-based organisations, women-based associations, youth groups, public service workers, and other related groups in attendance.
GNA