By Phillip Tengzu, GNA
Wa, (UW/R), April 22, GNA – Some stakeholders in the Upper West Region have called for a legal regime to criminalise delays and insufficient funding for the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to ensure adequate resourcing of the Office to effectively execute its mandate.
They observed that successive governments had failed to sufficiently resource the OSP since its establishment about eight years ago, thereby constraining its operational efficiency in the fight against corruption.
The call follows concerns raised by both the former and current Special Prosecutors regarding inadequate funding and logistical challenges confronting the Office.
Kuoro Osman Deiwia Nankpa III, the Paramount Chief of the Pullima Traditional Area in the Sissala West District, was among the stakeholders who made the call in Wa at a Regional Dialogue on the OSP.
The dialogue was organised by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) in collaboration with the OSP.
It formed part of a broader initiative under the Participation, Accountability and Integrity for a Resilient Democracy (PAIReD) programme aimed at strengthening accountability institutions and enhancing citizen engagement in anti-corruption reforms in Ghana.
The PAIReD programme was commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), co-financed by the European Union (EU) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and implemented by GIZ in partnership with the Ministry of Finance.
Kuoro Nankpa emphasised the need for constitutional reforms to strengthen the OSP, including granting it financial autonomy and securing its funding through constitutional provisions.
He further suggested that failure by responsible authorities to release funds to the OSP should attract sanctions, insisting that such measures would compel governments to prioritise anti-corruption efforts.
Mr Yahaya Abdus-Sallam Umar, a Member of the Upper West Regional Peace Council, underscored the need for sustained public education on the mandate of the OSP to ensure public understanding and engagement with the Office.
“Corruption is everywhere … so it is not only an institutional issue, it’s a social canker, so I think the solution is not lying in the office of the OSP, nor is it in the office of the Attorney General, it is with us here,” he explained.
Mr Samuel K. Berko, the Upper West Regional Industrial Relations Officer, Trade Union Congress, observed that the fight against corruption in Ghana was not effective due to a lack of political commitment.
He suggested measures, including a legal regime that strengthens the capacity of the OSP as an institution mandated to fight corruption, describing calls for its disbandment as “premature”
Dr. Zecharia Langnel, a Research Consultant to CDD-Ghana, indicated that an assessment report of the OSP showed that the Office continued to enjoy public support despite its operational challenges.
The report indicated that the OSP had, over the years, undertaken several investigations, recovered funds, and contributed meaningfully to Ghana’s anti-corruption efforts.
The findings also showed that many Ghanaians expressed confidence in the OSP and preferred reporting corruption-related cases to the OSP compared to other anti-corruption institutions.
Dr. Langnel, a lecturer at the University of Ghana, recommended that the OSP be made a constitutional body with guaranteed funding like other institutions to safeguard its independence and effectiveness.
Representatives of Civil Society Organisations, development partners, traditional leaders, youth and women groups, among others, participated in the engagement.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Benjamin Mensah