By Maxwell Awumah
Kadjebi (O/R), Sept. 25, GNA – The Kadjebi District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mr Daniel Agbesi Latsu, has urged women to become active champions of transparency and accountability in their families and communities.
He said women played significant roles in promoting integrity, responsible citizenship and the fight against corruption, adding that their collective efforts could contribute to building communities anchored in the rule of law.
Mr Latsu made the call at a follow-up educational campaign for women’s groups on the rule of law, accountability and the fight against corruption at Kadjebi in the Oti Region.
The engagement was organised under the project, “Civic Engagements on the Rule of Law and the Fight Against Corruption,” implemented under the PAIReD programme, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
Mr Latsu said women’s groups and associations provided an important platform for strengthening collective action against corruption and promoting accountability at the grassroots.
He encouraged the participants to uphold the principles of fairness, transparency, accountability, and respect for the rule of law in their daily activities.
He said the follow-up engagement was aimed at reinforcing women’s knowledge and strengthening their capacity to apply the principles of the rule of law, resist corruption, promote accountability, and encourage ethical practices within their communities.
Mr Latsu urged the participants not to keep the knowledge and experiences gained from the engagement to themselves, but to translate them into positive actions in their homes, workplaces, markets, and communities.
He said there was the need for them to renew their commitment to upholding the rule of law, rejecting corruption, and protecting the rights and responsibilities of citizens.
“Through our collective efforts, we can build communities founded on integrity, transparency and accountability,” he said.
Ms Lawrencia Agyemang, Kadjebi District Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), urged the women to serve as watchdogs against corruption in their communities.
She cautioned them against offering or accepting bribes, stressing that the payment of bribes constituted a corrupt practice.
“Don’t pay bribe, as it is corruption,” she said.
Ms Agyemang also encouraged the participants to support people who reported acts of corruption instead of stigmatising or victimising them.
She said creating an environment where citizens could safely report corruption was essential to promoting accountability and good governance.
Resist, reject and report
Madam Emma Asilevi, a member of the Kadjebi Local Accountability Network (LANet), urged the participants to resist, reject and report acts of corruption to the appropriate authorities.
She said collective action by women and community members could help reduce corrupt practices and promote transparency in the management of public resources.
Madam Asilevi encouraged the women to use appropriate reporting mechanisms whenever they encountered corrupt practices and to educate other members of their communities on the need to uphold integrity.
The participants also shared experiences and discussed challenges they encountered in promoting accountability and integrity in their families, workplaces, markets and communities.
The engagement formed part of efforts by the NCCE and its partners to strengthen civic participation and empower citizens, particularly women, to contribute to the fight against corruption and the promotion of the rule of law.
GNA
Edited by: Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reported by: Maxwell Awumah