Fight against corruption

RELIGIOUS organisations are coming out with an action plan aimed at fighting corruption within the political, religious and educational institutions in the country.
Consequently, the Christian Council of Ghana, the National Catholic Secretariat and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission are collaborating with the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) to draw up the action plan.
The GII, which initiated the project, yesterday began a two-day workshop in Accra to build the capacity of leaders of the three religious organisations in the fight against corruption.
The ethics workshop is on the theme; “Zero tolerance against corruption campaign: The role of religious bodies in Ghana”.
Topics being discussed include: “Manifestation of corruption in Ghanaian society”, “The role of religious bodies in the fight against corruption” and “Strategies in the fight against corruption”.
The Programmes Manager of GII, Mrs Linda Ofori-Kwafo, said the action plan, which is expected to be ready by the end of the year, would serve as a guide for religious leaders in their educational campaigns against corruption.
She said her outfit would organise workshops in the Eastern, Western and Central regions to get the input of the religious leaders into the action plan.
Mrs Ofori-Kwafo said the GII would monitor implementation of the guidelines in the action plan by the religious leaders.
She said many individuals would be trained to assist in the fight against corruption in their respective mosques and churches.
She said leaders from religious bodies would become members of the GII and also “spread the anti-corruption message through the pulpit”.
The Ameer and Missionary in charge of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, Maulvi Wahab Adam, in a speech read on his behalf by his first deputy, Maulvi M.Y. Yawson, stressed the need for religious organisations to educate their members on the negative impacts of corruption.
He said corruption was one of the elements affecting the effective administration of good governance and economic development.
A representative of the Christian Council of Ghana, Rev. Peter Sefogah, said if religious leaders were educated on corruption, took up the challenge and made it part of their messages, “it will reduce the incidence of corruption”.
He said corruption started from the heart, hence, the need for the people to be talked to through sermons to change their attitudes towards corruption.
The Executive Secretary of Ghana Anti Corruption Coalition, Mrs Florence Dennis, who chaired the function, asked religious leaders to play a more central role in stemming corruption by emphasising values of integrity.