By Kingsley Mamore, GNA
Dambai (O/R), July 21, GNA – The Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) has engaged 795 students in the Krachi East Municipality of the Oti Region on the importance of integrity, transparency and accountability, as part of the activities to commemorate the 2026 African Anti-Corruption Day.
The three-day sensitisation programme, held from July 15 to July 17, 2026, formed part of GACC’s 25th Anniversary celebrations and its nationwide campaign, to promote integrity and anti-corruption values among young people in 85 districts nationwide.
Organised on the theme, “Scaling Up the Promotion of Integrity and Anti-Corruption Actions Across Africa,” the initiative seeks to equip students with knowledge and practical skills to identify, resist, reject and report corrupt practices while fostering a culture of honesty and accountability from an early age.
The exercise was conducted at DACE Demonstration Basic School, Holy Cross Seminary Senior High School and Dormabin Basic School, where students participated in interactive discussions, group engagements and question-and-answer sessions designed to deepen their understanding of corruption and its impact on national development.
Facilitating the sessions, Mr Joshua Boarah, the Oti Regional Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), encouraged the students to become agents of positive change by upholding ethical values in their daily lives.
He explained that corruption undermined development, weakened public institutions, deprived communities of essential services, and eroded public confidence in governance.
Mr Boarah said the fight against corruption should not be left to government institutions alone, but it required the active participation of every citizen, especially young people, who represented the future leaders of the country.
He urged the students to demonstrate honesty in their academic work, avoid examination malpractice, reject bribery in all forms, and cultivate values of fairness, discipline and responsibility.
The students actively contributed to discussions by sharing their understanding of corruption, recounting situations they had witnessed or experienced, and suggesting practical ways young people could promote integrity in their schools and communities.
The discussions centered on questions such as “What does corruption mean to you?”, “Have you ever seen or experienced corruption?” and “What can young people do to promote integrity and fight corruption?” These conversations encouraged participants to appreciate the consequences of corruption and their responsibility in preventing it.
A total of 795 students participated in the exercise, comprising 426 males and 369 females.
Authorities of the participating schools commended GACC and CHRAJ for the timely intervention, describing integrity of education as an essential component of character development.
They pledged to strengthen anti-corruption education through school clubs, guidance programmes and other co-curricular activities to sustain the values imparted during the engagement.
Commemorating the 2026 African Anti-Corruption Day, Mrs Beauty Emefa Nartey, the Executive Secretary of GACC, said promoting integrity, transparency and accountability required collective action by governments, institutions, civil society organisations, communities and citizens, particularly the youth.
She noted that this year’s celebration held special significance as GACC marked 25 years of championing transparency, accountability and integrity in Ghana through advocacy, public education, policy engagement and strategic partnerships.
Mrs Nartey, said the Coalition had worked closely with state institutions, civil society organisations, traditional authorities, development partners and the media over the past two and a half decades to strengthen national efforts to combat corruption and promote good governance.
She said GACC’s commitment to youth engagement continued to produce positive results.
She disclosed that through its Local Accountability Networks (LANet), the Coalition reached more than 23,000 students across 40 districts in 16 regions in 2025 through school sensitisation programmes aimed at nurturing a new generation of ethical and responsible citizens.
Building on that achievement, Mrs Nartey said GACC had expanded the initiative in 2026 to cover 85 districts nationwide to provide more opportunities for students to learn about integrity, participate in anti-corruption advocacy and become champions of accountability in their communities.
She expressed appreciation to GACC’s development partners, particularly the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, for their continuous support, which made the nationwide activities possible.
Mrs Nartey challenged the students to resist, reject, and report every form of corruption, saying “Your voice matters, your actions matter and your choices matter. You are not only the leaders of tomorrow; you are the champions of integrity today and the driving force behind a more transparent and accountable future.”
She emphasised that the fight against corruption was a shared responsibility that demanded the commitment of all citizens, adding that every act of honesty, every refusal to engage in corruption and every decision to promote accountability contributed to building the transparent, just and prosperous Ghana and Africa that citizens desired.
GACC reaffirmed its commitment to empowering young people through continuous integrity education, civic engagement and anti-corruption advocacy, expressing confidence that nurturing ethical values among students would contribute significantly to building a corruption-resistant society and strengthening democratic governance in Ghana.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/ Christabel Addo