Ghanaians must help fight corruption - GII

The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), a civil society organisation, has pleaded to Ghanaians to fully join in the fight against corruption.

The GII said until Ghanaians make a conscious effort to join in the fight, it would be difficult for non-governmental organisations to uproot corruption in Ghana.

Mr Michael Okai, Project Coordinator at GII, made the plea on Friday during a day's workshop on "women, land and corruption in Africa", for women farmers at Ashaiman.

Mr Okai said Ghanaians must stop seeing corruption as a normal phenomenon but rather as a canker that is eating deep into the society.

He said it is about time Ghanaians resolve not to engage in corruption through the payment and receiving of bribes.

He reminded the public that corruption negatively affects state revenue, which leads to lack of provision of basic social amenities to deprived areas.
Corruption also facilitates to unfair decision making, and affect investor confidence in systems and public institutions.

Ghanaians, he noted, must eschew all forms of corruption be it petty, grand, systemic or political.

Touching on the workshop, Mr Okai stated that it is a pilot project from GII's mother organisation Transparency International being carried out in Zimbabwe, Uganda and Ghana.

The project is aimed at linking other civil society groups and institutions concerned with women and land governance together to generate and share relevant data and information on corruption in the land sector.

Mr Okai added that his outfit would network and advocate recognition and integration of women's land rights and related anti-corruption activities in development and governance projects.

Ms Lois Aduamoah - Addo, Project Officer of Women in Law and Development in Africa, in a presentation, advised women to take advantage of their rights enshrined in Articles 17, 18, 22 and 36 of the 1992 Constitution to address property issues.

Ms Aduamoah-Addo also encouraged women who are cohabitating with men to ensure that they go through the full process of marriage be it customary or ordinance to help protect their rights in future.

Dr Stan Adiaba, Land Administration Officer at the Lands Commission, Corporate Head Office, encouraged farmers especially women to acquire lands for their activities.

Dr Adiaba said women must also ensure that they register lands and other properties in their names or ensure that their names appear on land documents jointly acquired with husbands and family members.

He noted that figures at the Commission showed that more women are now acquiring and registering lands.

Dr Adiaba said however that due to some cultural practices, women in rural areas still shy away from acquiring properties.

He indicated that the Ghana Commercial Agricultural Project under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, of which he is a technical member, is developing guidelines for large scale acquisition of land with special emphasis on women and the youth.