By Michael Pepsin Avorgah
Viepe-Tokor (V/R), Oct. 16, GNA – The Ketu South Municipal Office of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has urged women to report corrupt practices to the appropriate authorities and stand up for their rights.
The call was made at an assessment and appraisal engagement under the civic education campaign on the Rule of Law and the Fight against Corruption, aimed at assessing how participants had applied lessons from earlier engagements and addressing challenges they faced in reporting corruption.
Mama Hodzige II, the Ketu South Municipal Director of the NCCE, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that the initial education had increased awareness among the targeted groups, but sustained engagement was essential to reinforce the lessons.
She said continuous education would allow participants to reflect on their experiences, share challenges and receive further guidance on reporting corruption and promoting accountability.
Mama Hodzige explained that women were specifically targeted because they encountered corruption in their daily interactions but often faced barriers, including fear of victimisation, limited knowledge of reporting procedures and social norms that discouraged them from speaking out against wrongdoing.
She said the latest engagement provided an opportunity to assess how participants had applied the knowledge acquired during previous sessions, reinforce positive attitudes and behaviours, and strengthen their confidence to promote integrity and accountability.
The campaign, which has been conducted for women’s groups across 60 project districts, including Ketu South, has equipped participants with knowledge of the rule of law, corruption, accountability, civic responsibility, legal protections and reporting mechanisms.
At the engagement, DSI Justice Kudzo Normeshie of the Ghana Immigration Service, the Aflao Sector Command, led a question-and-answer session to assess participants’ understanding of corruption, its various forms, reporting channels, relevant laws and legal protections for whistleblowers.
Participants shared their experiences of alleged corrupt practices and discussed how the education had influenced their responses to such situations.
Madam Rita Dzorga, a participant, recounted how a second-cycle school allegedly rejected a prospectus she had already purchased for her ward and directed her to buy another from the school.
Another participant, named Emmanuella, described an encounter with an Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) officer who allegedly demanded money to prevent her electricity supply from being disconnected over an outstanding bill.
Rose, also a participant, said the education had strengthened her confidence in dealing with situations involving corruption.
DSI Normeshie encouraged the participants to stand up for their rights and report corrupt practices to the appropriate authorities, assuring them that the law provided protection for those who spoke out against wrongdoing.
Mama Hodzige commended the participants for their involvement in the campaign and urged them to become ambassadors of the anti-corruption message in their communities.
She encouraged them to educate children at home about right and wrong, noting that teaching them good values from an early age could help shape their behaviour as they grew older.
The campaign forms part of the Participation, Accountability and Integrity for a Resilient Democracy (PAIReD) programme, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and co-financed by the European Union (EU) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
The programme is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Benjamin Mensah