By Elsie Appiah-Osei, GNA
Accra, July 27, GNA – Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, on Monday launched the National Integrity Awards Scheme, describing it as a deliberate national effort to celebrate ethical leadership and restore public trust in governance.
Speaking at the Parliament House, he said Ghana’s future depended not only on policies and institutions but also on the values the nation chose to uphold, honour and reward.
“Today, we are making a national statement: Ghana must be a nation in which honesty is celebrated, ethical leadership is valued, accountability is a given, and integrity is treated not as an ornament of public life but as its foundation,” he stated.
The launch was attended by a representative from the Presidency, the Chief Justice, Ministers of State, Members of Parliament (MPs), as well as representatives from the judiciary, security services, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MMDAs), diplomatic corps, and civil society.
It was on the theme: “Promoting Integrity, Celebrating Ethical Leadership, and Inspiring National Development.”
Mr Bagbin said the launch had come at a time of growing public demand for ethical governance and while acknowledging the progress being made under the Fourth Republic, he admitted that issues such as corruption, abuse of office, conflict of interest, and weak enforcement continued to erode confidence.
“We cannot only condemn corruption; we must also honour integrity. We cannot only punish wrongdoing; we must also celebrate rightfulness,” the Speaker said.
Tracing the origins of the agenda to a 1998 Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) integrity conference and the 2015 National Anti-Corruption Action Plan, Mr Bagbin said Parliament had now moved to “bring this long-standing national aspiration into practical reality.”
He outlined reforms under his leadership, including the establishment of an Ethics and Standards Committee, a Commissioner for Ethics and Standards, and a Legal and Governance Services Division with departments for Anti-Corruption, Investigations, and Human Rights within the Parliamentary Service.
“Parliament is uniquely positioned to champion this initiative because it is the people’s sovereign authority… If Parliament is to play this role effectively, it must not only legislate for integrity; it must also help create a culture in which integrity is visible, valued, and rewarded,” he added.
The Scheme would recognise individuals and institutions across the Executive, Judiciary, Parliament, security agencies, private sector, media, civil society, and whistle-blowers who demonstrate honesty and service.
Another category, the “Vulture Award,” would draw attention to conduct that undermines integrity and damages the moral health of the nation.
“The purpose of the Vulture Award is not to substitute public accusations for lawful accountability but to draw responsible attention to conduct that preys upon the public good,” Mr Bagbin explained.
He stressed that it must be administered “with great care, fairness, responsibility and due regard to law.”
The Speaker appealed to the President and national institutions to elevate the Awards to the stature of Farmers’ Day and the National Best Teacher Awards and urged citizens across districts and communities to participate in nominations.
“Integrity cannot be outsourced. It must be cultivated in the home, classroom, office, church, mosque, market, courtroom, district assembly, police station, newsroom, boardroom and Parliament,” he said.
The Speaker therefore called for a Ghana “where integrity is the culture, ethical leadership is celebrated, accountability is the norm and national development is a reality not an aspiration.”
His Lordship Justice William Anaam Atuguba (Rtd), a Justice of the Supreme Court, now chairs the National Integrity Awards Committee, taking over from Speaker Bagbin on July 6, 2026.
In his remarks, His Lordship Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, the Chief Justice, stated that while integrity demanded personal sacrifice, corruption exacts a far heavier toll on the entire nation, as he endorsed the newly launched National Integrity Awards Scheme.
He defined integrity as “the willingness to pay the price for doing what is right.”
“Every act of integrity carries a cost. That, perhaps, is why integrity is admired—because it is never free,” he said.
Addressing the role of the courts, the Chief Justice said the Judiciary’s authority rests not on buildings or budgets, but on public confidence.
“People obey court decisions not because judges possess physical power. They obey them because they believe that justice has been administered fairly. That belief rests entirely upon integrity. Without integrity, justice itself cannot survive,” he noted.
Welcoming the National Integrity Awards Scheme on the theme, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie said Ghana had for too long celebrated wealth without asking how it was acquired.
“Perhaps it is time we became equally intentional about celebrating those who quietly choose principle over convenience, honesty over gain, and duty over personal advantage, because what a nation celebrates, it encourages, and what it encourages, it reproduces,” he said.
He hoped that the Awards would become “more than an annual ceremony” but “a national movement” to inspire children, encourage public servants, and strengthen institutions.
The Chief Justice congratulated the Office of the Speaker and all partners for the initiative and assured the Judiciary’s “unwavering support in every effort aimed at strengthening integrity, accountability and public trust in our Republic.”
Using everyday examples, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie said integrity was seen when a trader at Makola sold tomatoes at the true price, when a student refused to cheat, or when a public servant retired with only his honest salary.
“The honest trader may lose a customer. But dishonest trading destroys confidence in the marketplace. The honest public officer may retire without unexplained wealth. But corruption impoverishes an entire nation,” he stated.
He said although the cost of integrity was often paid by the individual, that of corruption was bitterly paid by everyone.
GNA
Edited by Christabel Addo
Reporter: Elsie Appiah-Osei, GNA
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