We’ve become poorer due to chronic public corruption – Afari-Gyan

Former Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, has expressed concern about the chronic and widespread public corruption in Ghana, noting that it has contributed to the impoverishment of citizens over time.

Speaking at the Constitutional Day Public Lecture organized by the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) Law School, and the One Ghana Movement, the former EC boss criticized public institutions and personnel for their insufficient efforts to combat corruption.

He highlighted the negative impact of corruption on the nation's wealth and called for decisive measures to address citizens' perception of corruption, fostering trust and confidence in public institutions.

“Over the years, we have become poorer as a nation and as a people, mainly due to pervasive corruption, particularly in the public sector. Unfortunately, some of our key public institutions are becoming institutions of dubious integrity. Increasingly, candidates who lose elections are alleging manipulations and refusing to accept the results.”

“By and large, we have not been able to diffuse the principles of democratic behavior widely into our society, and there is a general lack of predictability in our social life, which is a disincentive to proper behavior. Some people will say that these are perceived and not real ailments of our society, but that doesn’t change the picture at all because, for purposes of trust and confidence in public institutions, perception is as important as reality.”

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