President John Mahama has charged Ghanaians to stand up against corruption which has become a canker in the country.
The President attributed the “absurd rate of corruption recorded in the country to institutional weakness that had created loopholes for individuals and organisations to take advantage of.”
Ghana is dealing with a plethora of corruption scandals that has rocked the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government in the last few years.
[contextly_sidebar id=”7eeed2NbTTc5TqmC5R10L6H5gWqQzX0W”]Notable among them is the payment of GHC 51 million to businessman, Alfred Woyome, the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) project, Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) scandal, and recently the alleged corrupt acts which took place during Ghana’s participation in the 2014 World Cup tournament.
The Commissioner of the Commission of Human Right and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Lauretta Lamptey, has also been in the news for wasting huge sums of money on rent and renovation of her official bungalow.
Various findings by the Judgement Debt Commission has also revealed a number of shady deals from public officials that have come before it.
President Mahama who was addressing the Ghanaian community in Massachusetts, USA, as part his 10-day official visit to that country said Government was reviewing the procurement laws to reduce the sole sourcing contracts where the malpractices and corrupt activities were envisaged to be emanating from.
President Mahama disclosed that he had “directed the Chief of Staff to write to all organisations asking them to feed the Presidency with the housing system for their chief executives and their management staff.”
He said it was only after receiving reports from various organisations that his administration would be in the position to determine how to handle and avoid waste in the public sector.
He said he had ordered that pre-paid electricity metres be installed in the houses of all government appointees, where they would be compelled to pay for their own utility bills.
Professor Kwamena Panford, a leader of the Ghanaian community in the US, commended President Mahama for recognising their presence in Boston.
He said they had a strong and vibrant association that had, over the years, compelled members to contribute in all forms towards the socio-economic development of their villages and communities in Ghana.
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By: citifmonline.com/with files from GNA