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President John Mahama has charged Ghanaians to stand up against
corruption which has become a canker in the country.
The President attributed the "absurd rate of corruption recorded in
the country to institutional weakness that had created loopholes for
individuals and organisations to take advantage of."
Ghana is dealing with a plethora of corruption scandals that has
rocked the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government in the
last few years.
Notable among them is the payment of GHC 51 million to businessman,
Alfred Woyome, the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority(SADA)
project, Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development
Agency(GYEEDA) scandal, and recently the alleged corrupt acts which
took place during Ghana's participation in the 2014 World Cup
tournament.
The Commissioner of the Commission of Human Right and Administrative
Justice (CHRAJ), Lauretta Lamptey, has also been in the news for
wasting huge sums of money on rent and renovation of her official
bungalow.
Various findings by the Judgement Debt Commissionhas also revealed a
number of shady deals from public officials that have come before it.
President Mahama who was addressing the Ghanaian community in
Massachusetts, USA, as part his 10-day official visit to that country
said Government was reviewing the procurement laws to reduce the sole
sourcing contracts where the malpractices and corrupt activities were
envisaged to be emanating from.
President Mahama disclosed that he had "directed the Chief of Staff to
write to all organisations asking them to feed the Presidency with the
housing system for their chief executives and their management staff."
He said it was only after receiving reports from various organisations
that his administration would be in the position to determine how to
handle and avoid waste in the public sector.
He said he had ordered that pre-paid electricity metres be installed
in the houses of all government appointees, where they would be
compelled to pay for their own utility bills.
Professor Kwamena Panford, a leader of the Ghanaian community in the
US, commended President Mahama for recognising their presence in
Boston.
He said they had a strong and vibrant association that had, over the
years, compelled members to contribute in all forms towards the
socio-economic development of their villages and communities in Ghana.
By: citifmonline.com/with files from GNA
