By Michael Owusu Duodu
Bechem (Ahafo), May 19, GNA – Mr. Samuel Harrison-Cudjoe, Programmes Officer for Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), has observed that the partisan nature of Ghana’s governance system is a great impediment to the fight against corruption.
He indicated that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) political syndrome was an affront to tackling, eradicating or reducing corruption to the barest minimum.
“When NDC is in power, NPP sees corruption everywhere, and vice versa. This creates equalization, and makes it difficult, if not impossible, to take decisive action against corrupt duty bearers,” he stated.
Mr. Harrison-Cudjoe made the assertion when he facilitated a two-day sensitization workshop for selected stakeholders at Bechem in the Ahafo Region.
He said the programmme was a follow up to the first phase of the Strengthening Accountability, Rule of law and Institutional Responsiveness (SARIS) project which started last year.
The project was aimed at building citizens capacity to promote transparency, monitor public financial management, and fight corruption.
Also, the citizens will engage in community sensitisation, monitor the implementation of audit recommendations at Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, and educate their peers about corruption reporting mechanisms.
The Programs Officer further stated that the SARIS project also sought to train citizens in 24 districts across the country to enable them to identify and report corruption for appropriate action.
Mr. Collins Osei, Local Accountability Networks (LANets) Focal Person, said through the SARIS project, communities were becoming more vocal in questioning local leaders, and more confident in using legal tools to demand transparency.
He urged the citizenry to stay informed, report corrupt practices and join hands to engage in local governance.
Participants were drawn from civil society organisations, persons with disabilities, women and youth groups, faith-based organizations, political parties and district assembly and the Media.
The GACC had organised similar programmes in Tain, Berekum East and Sunyani.
The SARIS project, a collaborative effort by the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), the local chapter of Transparency International, and funded by the European Union (EU).
GNA
Edited by Christian Akorlie