A group of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working on anti-corruption and good governance issues in the country are calling on President Akufo-Addo to make the necessary funding available to resource the Office of the Special Prosecutor to execute his mandate effectively.
The group of CSOs on October 26, 2021, had a meeting with the Special Prosecutor (SP), Mr. Kissi Agyebeng, at his office at Ridge, Accra.
The meeting, called at the instance of the SP was to deliberate on how best the OSP can work with CSOs to engender a public space where corruption can be made a high risk and low reward activity.
https://corruptionwatchghana.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/kissi-agyabeng.jpg512410adminhttps://corruptionwatchghana.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/CW-logo-100by80.pngadmin2021-11-08 15:00:272021-11-08 15:12:26Resource OSP with adequate funding to fight corruption – CSOs to Akufo-Addo
A new report of the Auditor-General shows that grand corruption and waste of public funds is not going away.
Among a raft of findings is the indictment of the Honorary Consul General at Ghana’s Washington Mission and Houston Consulate for not being able to account for visa fees totalling US$354,760.00 (or two million cedis at prevailing exchange rates).
The Free SHS Secretariat is also accused of misapplying more than nineteen (19) million cedis of its allocations.
In addition, the Auditor-General says Ex-Tourism Minister Catherine Afeku is keeping three official vehicles despite leaving office.
MP Queenstar Pokuah Sawyerr is accused of spending GH¢39,000.00 of her MP allocation on non-existent works.
These are contained in the “Report of the Auditor-General on the Public Accounts of Ghana: Ministries, Departments and other Agencies for the year ended 31 December, 2020.”
The Office of the Auditor-General, under the hand of Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, Acting Auditor-General transmitted this report to the Speaker of Parliament on 11 June, 2021.
https://corruptionwatchghana.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/CW-logo-highres.png17702055adminhttps://corruptionwatchghana.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/CW-logo-100by80.pngadmin2021-07-21 13:51:202021-07-21 14:09:36Auditor General indicts Ghana’s Washington Mission officer over “missing” visa fees
The document we focusing on is the “Report of the Auditor-General on the Public Accounts of Ghana: Ministries, Departments and other Agencies for the year ended 31 December, 2020.”
The Office of the Auditor-General, under the hand of Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, Acting Auditor-General transmitted this report to the Speaker of Parliament on 11 June, 2021.
The report states that when the Auditor-General and his team set out to Audit accounts of MDAs to ascertain the state of their accounts at the close of the year 2020, they were guided by certain objectives.
https://corruptionwatchghana.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/CW-logo-100by80.png80100adminhttps://corruptionwatchghana.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/CW-logo-100by80.pngadmin2021-07-21 03:04:272021-07-21 14:49:42Corruption Watch Breakdown of 'Auditor General's Report on Public Accounts'
…As total infractions hit GHC5.46bn at end of 2019
The Auditor General has discovered that 25 instances of financial irregularity took place at the University of Cape Coast and its various colleges and subsidiaries as at the end of 31st December, 2019.
Corruption Watch’s tabulation of the amount of individual irregularities shows that the infractions involve a total of GHC88,289,417.16. In addition, the amount constitutes 49.09% of irregularities recorded for institutions under the ministry of education.
According to the Auditor General, “…the Vice Chancellor, Professor Ghartey Ampiah entered into a 10 year Build, Own, Operate and Transfer Agreement with KLEOS UK Ltd for the provision of information and communication technology (ICT) services at a cost of $300,000.00 per year totalling $3,000,000.00 for the contract period without seeking approval from the University Council, the Minister of Education and Public Procurement before committing the University to such financial obligation.”
The “contract signed by the Vice Chancellor was only witnessed by the Director of ICT services Dr. Regina Gyampoh-Vidogah. Consequently, the Auditor General recommended that “the Vice Chancellor should submit the Build, Own, Operate and Transfer Agreement (BOOT) with KLEOS UK Ltd to the University Council, Minister of Education and Public Procurement Authority for approval, failing which the sanctions in section 92 (1) of the Public Procurement Act shall be applied.”
The African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) has called for the passage of a whistleblower protection law in Nigeria. In a statement to mark this year’s World Whistleblowing Day, the organisation noted that Nigeria is playing catch-up with an issue other African countries like Ghana, South Africa, and Uganda have formalized.
Since the return to democracy in 1999, there have been several unsuccessful attempts to pass a law for the protection of whistleblowers in Nigeria. In December 2016, the federal government introduced a whistleblower policy, which does not provide a legal framework for the protection of whistleblowers.
Different countries around the world are realizing the importance of whistleblowers who have been described as the “first line of defence against crime, corruption and cover-up.” June 23 every year is celebrated as World Whistleblowing Day to raise public awareness about the important role of whistleblowers in combating corruption.
This year’s celebration is coming on the heels of a global pandemic (COVID-19) that has created a great deal of anxiety and uncertainty for Nigerians. It has also highlighted the importance of accountability and the need for regular and reliable information from public and private institutions and officials.
“It’s for this reason that we need Nigerians to speak up and be listened to if they have concerns about health and safety, fraud or other types of wrongdoing in the public interest in the management of the COVID-19 crisis, said Chido Onumah, Coordinator of AFRICMIL.
“Nigerians need to know the truth about the spread of the disease to respond effectively and help protect their communities. Transparency is vital and never more so than during a pandemic. We encourage all citizens and workers to participate in ensuring our governments, corporate institutions, both public and private, remain accountable during this crisis and beyond.”
We celebrate whistleblowers in the country for their patriotism. They keep us safe and ensure that funds are not diverted when they speak out against fraud, abuse and corruption.
In the last three years, AFRICMIL has been implementing a project tagged Corruption Anonymous , supported by the MacArthur Foundation , which aims to highlight the importance of whistleblowing in the fight against corruption and the need to protect whistle blowers from retaliation.
https://corruptionwatchghana.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/whistleblower-word-collage-1400x933-1.jpeg400770adminhttps://corruptionwatchghana.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/CW-logo-100by80.pngadmin2020-06-25 01:03:292020-06-25 01:03:31World Whistleblowing Day: AFRICMIL Calls For Passage Of Whistleblower Protection Law In Nigeria
After Ghana discovered oil and gas in 2007, the government and civil society aspired to avoid the “resource curse”. This is when countries have an abundance of non-renewable natural resources but no economic growth.
Nigeria, Sudan, Angola, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Chad are among the oil producers that have failed to channel their resources into the material improvement of their countries and people.
https://corruptionwatchghana.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/oil-fields-ghana.jpg263350adminhttps://corruptionwatchghana.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/CW-logo-100by80.pngadmin2020-06-05 16:31:302020-06-05 16:31:33Ghana has tried to be responsible with its oil wealth. This is how.
