Civil society groups/state institutions must jointly fight corruption

The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) on Friday urged civil society organization to see corruption as an enemy and join state institutions to fight against it.

“Every citizen must take steps to fight against corruption,” Mr Joseph Whittal, CHRAJ Deputy Commissioner, made these remarks, at a workshop organized by the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) to disseminate the Civil Society Index-Rapid Assessment Project in Accra.

Mr Whittal noted that when there is corruption in a country, civil society groups suffer most, and therefore, urged them not to engage themselves in corrupt practices.

Presenting the report, Mr Roland Akabzaa, GACC Research Officer, said Ghanaian civil society organizations have made lots of progress in influencing public policy formation, due to their involvement in the early stage.

“This is mainly due to the presence of think-tanks who participate in the policy formulation process,” he said.

The Research Officer said most civil society groups are not interested in engaging government on national policies.

Ms Florence Dennis, GACC Executive Secretary, said the project aims at supporting civil society in Ghana in undertaking self-assessment, in order to enhance, strengthen and adopt sustainable measures for a positive social change.

It further aims at helping civil society in Ghana to better assess its own challenges, potentials and needs in a range of different situations and contexts, providing a plat form for civil society to identify shared needs.