By Yussif Ibrahim, GNA
Juaso (Ash), Aug. 03, GNA – Reducing corruption is one of the surest ways to free up more public resources for national and community development, Mr. Michael Boadi, the Fundraising Manager of Transparency International Ghana, has said.
He explained that corruption diverted scarce public resources away from essential development projects, depriving communities of improved roads, schools, health facilities and other social infrastructure.
Mr. Boadi said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Juaso, after a refresher training for members of the Social Auditing Club (SAC) in the Asante-Akim South Municipality.
The engagement, organised by Transparency International Ghana in collaboration with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), formed part of the Strengthening Accountability, Rule of Law, and Institutional Responsiveness in Ghana (SARIS) project.
It is an anti-corruption initiative led by CDD-Ghana, Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) and Transparency International Ghana, with funding from the European Union (EU).
Mr. Boadi said corruption had become deeply rooted in society, making continuous public engagement and education essential to changing attitudes and behaviour.
“We cannot have enough conversations about corruption. We must continue to engage people consistently because the fight against corruption requires sustained public participation,” he stated.
He noted that unlike many projects that ended after training participants, the current initiative sought to test the sustainability of the intervention by evaluating how beneficiaries were using the knowledge acquired to educate their communities and promote accountability.
According to him, the SAC members had previously received training on corruption and public financial management and were now expected to lead community and school-based awareness campaigns to put their knowledge into practice.
Mr. Boadi said the country’s resources were limited, and every act of corruption reduced the funds available for development.
He cited the theft of construction materials and the embezzlement of funds meant for public projects as examples of how corruption undermined development and denied communities the benefits of public investments.
“The less corruption we have in society, the more resources become available for development,” he stressed.
Mr. Boadi also observed that corruption and crime often thrived together because bribery and abuse of office weakened institutions responsible for enforcing the law.
He said corruption created opportunities for organised crimes such as human trafficking, drug trafficking and other illicit activities by compromising officials entrusted with preventing such offences.
He said despite the use of various punitive measures over the years, corruption persisted because citizens had not been fully mobilised to resist, reject and report corrupt practices.
“When everyone becomes actively involved in exposing and resisting corruption, we will make significant progress in the fight,” he said.
Mr. Patrick Asare, an Assistant Director at the Asante-Akim South Municipal Directorate of NCCE, said the Commission remained committed to partnering Transparency International Ghana to deepen public awareness on corruption.
He said the NCCE continued to educate communities on the different forms of corruption and encouraged citizens to recognise that corruption was not only perpetrated by public officials but also involved ordinary people through everyday practices.
Mr. Asare urged Ghanaians to identify and reject corrupt practices in their daily lives to promote accountability and accelerate the country’s development.
GNA
Edited by Kwabia Owusu-Mensah/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Yussif Ibrahim
Reporter’s email address: [email protected]
03 Aug. 2026