President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has assured stakeholders in Ghana’s anti-corruption fight that his government will continue to resource all relevant State institutions who are involved in the country’s bid to root-out corruption in the nation.
Speaking at a high level national conference at the Alisa hotel, as part of the commemoration of the International Anti-Corruption Day and Human Rights Day under the theme “Building a Culture of Integrity for Generations”, President Akufo-Addo indicated that it is his resolve that institutions of State involved in fighting corruption will continue to receive increased support from his government.
“It is also an undeniable fact that budgetary allocations for institutions actively engaged in public sector accountability, i.e., the Office of the Auditor-General, the Judiciary, Parliament and the Ghana Police Service, have witnessed unprecedented increases since I assumed office in 2017”.
At the end of 2021, President Akufo-Addo indicated that the budgetary allocation to Parliament had witnessed a one hundred and ninety four percent (194%) increase, compared to what was inherited in 2016; the Police had seen its budget increase by one hundred and sixty-two percent (162%) at the end of 2021, in comparison to 2016; the Audit Service had recorded an eighty three percent (83%) rise in its budgetary allocation at the end of 2021, as compared to 2016; the budget of the Judiciary had risen by fifty-one percent (51%) at the end of 2021, compared to 2016; the budget of the Office of the Attorney-General had increased by fifty percent (50%) at the end of 2021, compared to 2016; whilst the budget of CHRAJ had increased by twenty-one percent (21%) at the end of 2021, compared to 2016″ .
These figures, according to President Akufo-Addo, reflect his “resolve to ensure that institutions of state of relevance in the anti-corruption agenda are properly equipped to discharge satisfactorily the mandate of their offices”.
On ensuring value for money through the review of single source and restricted tender applications, he stated that the Public Procurement Authority, between January 2019 and August 2021, recorded savings to the tune of GHC2.3 billion.
“In 2017, my first year in office, the savings, made over the year as a result of such reviews, amounted to some eight hundred million cedis (GHC800 million). Contrast this to the situation in 2016 where a grand total of zero savings was made,” President Akufo-Addo said.
Prosecution of corruption
In the area of investigations and prosecution of corruption and corruption related offences, the President noted that a distinct innovation was undertaken by his administration in 2017, with the decision to set up an Office of Special Prosecutor, through the passage of the Office of Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959).
“The establishment of the Office of Special Prosecutor represents the most courageous measure by any government, since independence, to prosecute corruption in the executive arm of government. The monopoly of prosecutorial authority by an Attorney-General, hired or fired by a President, had been identified by many as a key factor standing in the way of law enforcement and prosecution as a credible tool in the fight against corruption before 2017,” he added.
Chairperson for the occasion, his Lordship the Chief Justice of the Republic, Justice Anin Yeboah, who was represented by Justice Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi, a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana, in his address noted that the Judiciary is a key player in the fight against corruption as it is the institution seized with the power to adjudicate cases in Ghana including corruption and corruption related offences.
To this end, Justice Kulendi said the Judiciary is ready to partner with all stakeholders in the Justice delivery system to make sure that corruption case are dealt with expeditiously.
Wilberforce Asare
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