Despite government promise to make corruption a high-risk political activity, civil society groups are concerned, the country continues to score low marks.
In a petition to the President, five pro-democracy organisations observed with worry that Ghana has never attained 50 points on the Corruption Perception Index.
The best score was 2014 with 48points under the Mahama government while the worst score of 39pts was under the dying tenure of the Kufuor government in 2008.
Under the first year of President Akufo-Addo, Ghana scored one more point better than the last year of President Kufuor.
Akufo-Addo and his party, the New Patriotic Party, won power partly via the promise to fight corruption and the touted personality of Akufo-Addo as a rare incorruptible leader.
Managing Director of Telesol, a 4G-internet service provider said the company is set to adopt new technologies to widen the current digital divide between Africa and the rest of the world beginning from Ghana.
But two years into his tenure, the CSOs say the fight against corruption has “stagnated”.
According to the petition signed by Ghana Center for Democratic Development’s Kojo Pumpuni Asante, the abysmal prosecution record of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) which secured only two convictions after prosecuting 34 out of 466 cases is worrying.
The petition noted, the Attorney-General’s Office is becoming a place where cases go to die unnatural deaths because submitted dockets do not get enough action.
They pointed to comments by Chief Executive of the Public Procurement Authority that cases forwarded to the A-G are yet to yield any prosecutorial results.
The corruption cases they cited include scandals at the National Lotteries Authority (NLA), National Communications Authority (NCA), Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Ghana Airports Authority and the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL).
They complained of lack of rules to regulate gift giving and taking among public officials and absence of rules to regulate ethical conduct in public services.
The Civil Society Organisations also tracked “good developments” in the fight against corruption which largely records “efforts” by the judiciary, “beginning of efforts” by parliament and “efforts” by the Public Procurement Authority to fight corruption within their respective spheres.
It referred to the much vaunted National Anti-Corruption Action Plan although an anti-graft constitutional body (CHRAJ) has complained the plan has remained a plan.
Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has however explained, the government’s way of fighting corruption is to digitize public services.
He said Ghana has been running a very informal system of service-delivery where money has to pass through several hands.
Dr. Bawumia has explained to eradicate corruption, the government must eradicate human interfaces.
There has been the introduction of the paperless port system which has slashed inspection agencies from 16 to three and improved revenue collection.
Government has also aggressively pushed for every citizen to get a Tax Identification Number which will be used to access social services.
But Ghana Center for Democratic Development’s Kojo Pumpuni Asante while fully endorsing technology to fight corruption, he complained: “there is a lot that we have to do very quickly”.
The CDD-Ghana Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement said it is difficult to track government’s progress in the fight against corruption.
He feared, Ghanaians are becoming numb to the canker and considering it second nature.
READ PETITION
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