Corruption could make the country ungovernable - Official

Ho, Nov 6, GNA- Contributors at a public forum in Ho on Wednesday, expressed fears that the rate at which corruption is manifesting in all spheres of public life could make the country difficult to govern. The two-day forum on the performance of Churches role in ensuring good governance, organised by the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) and the Centre of Policy Analysis, is being sponsored by the UNDP, through the National Governance Programme (NGP).

" We have nurtured and incubated corruption in our bureaucracy. We talk of good governance but are we governable?" Rev. Dr Abraham A Akrong, Research Fellow of the Institute of African Studies (FIAS) of the University of Ghana asked.

He said: "The corrupt culture in the system is eating up the country and it is difficult to trust anybody now."

Rev Akrong said it is incumbent on civil society groups such as the Churches to muster courage and take on the government and public institutions and make them accountable.

Dr Joe Abbey Executive Secretary of the Centre for Policy Analysis (CEPA), said institutional means must be provided to check corruption since individual initiatives may be weak and misconstrued.

He explained that such individuals stand the risk of being maligned and public sentiments whipped against them.

Contributors were of the opinion that the institutionalised systems set up at most government departments to monitor their finances was party to the theft of public coffers thereby, impoverishing the mass of the people.

Mr Kwabena Boadu Oku-Afari, Principal Economist of the Policy Analysis Division of the Ministry of Finance, conceded that the system of monitoring of government projects is not thorough because of the inability of the government to employ and retain building technologists and architects to carry out professional monitoring.

Mr Michael Ansa, the Programme Co-ordinator of Christian Council of Ghana, (CCG) said if civil society organisations such as the churches are reluctant to take up the fight against corruption then they should forever forget about "zero tolerance for corruption". 06 Nov 03