Gwollu: Women have been advised to be agents of change in the fight against corruption by speaking up against acts of corruption and championing the values of honesty, fairness, and transparency wherever they find themselves. They have been recognised as having the power and potential to influence and shape ethical behaviours in families, workplaces, communities, and within the groups they belong to.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. Moses Batong, the Programmes Manager for SAVE-Ghana, a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO), gave the advice at Gwollu in the Sissala West District during a civic engagement with women’s groups on the rule of law and the fight against corruption in Ghana. The Sissala West District Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) organised the forum as part of the ‘Strengthening the Rule of Law and the Fight Against Corruption in Ghana’ project.
The initiative was under the ‘Participation, Accountability and Integrity for a Resilient Democracy (PAIReD)’ programme being implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in partnership with Ghana’s Ministry of Finance. The PAIReD programme was 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 forum was part of efforts by the NCCE and its partners to deepen civic awareness and promote active citizen participation in the fight against corruption in the country. It was also to educate the participants on the principles of the rule of law, their rights under the 1992 Constitution, and strengthen their understanding of anti-corruption mechanisms and reporting channels.
Mr. Batong explained that corruption negatively affects service delivery in areas including education, health, and local governance and impedes development at all levels. “Corruption erodes public trust, impedes development, and disproportionately affects women both in the formal and informal sectors of the economy,” he stated.
Mr. Mustapha Iddrisu, the Sissala West District Director of the NCCE, urged the women to respect the rule of law as it ensured fairness, justice, and stability in society. He reminded them of their civic duties as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution, including respect for the law, payment of taxes, and their obligation to report acts of corruption and injustice.
Mr. Iddrisu also took the participants through legal frameworks such as the Whistleblowers Act and the corruption reporting mechanisms. He encouraged them to report corruption-related acts to institutions such as the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) for the necessary action to be taken.
The participants emphasised the need for continuous civic education, empowerment of women in leadership, and stronger collaboration between citizens and anti-corruption agencies in the fight against corruption. About 50 women drawn from women’s groups across the district, including Market Women Association, Christian Mothers Association, Federation of Muslim Women Association of Ghana, and Village Savings and Loans Associations, among others, participated in the engagement.