Anti- Crusaders of the Commonwealth Secretariat have Converge in Accra- Ghana for a one-week Conference to deliberate ways of improving their perspectives on the fight against corruption.
The 14th Regional Conference and annual general meeting of heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa is being hosted under the auspices of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), Ghana, and supported by the Government of Ghana and the Commonwealth Secretariat.
The Executive Director of EOCO, Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo Danquah who is also the Ekuo Na for Holy Family Akankuo in her open address said the Anti-corruption Agencies sought to leverage the collective wisdom and experiences of the Commonwealth Assembly to build societies free from the shackles of corruption.
COP Maame Tiwaa further said corruption undermines the very fabric of our societies, corrodes public confidence in our institutions, and suppresses economic development and as representatives, they bore a solemn duty to tackle the menace head-on.
Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame, Attorney General and Minister for Justice has called on Heads of Anti-corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa to fight corruption with well-established systems, investigations and prosecutions.
He said any serious endeavours to fight economic crimes must be firmly rooted in the establishment of systems for its deterrence in a fair and efficient manner.
Mr Yeboah Dame said this at the 14th Commonwealth Regional Conference and Annual General Meeting of Heads of Anti-corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa, an event which started May 6, and would last for a week.
He spoke on theme: “Strengthening Institutions and Promoting Transparency; A means of fighting Corruption in Commonwealth Africa,” where representatives of 24 Anti-Corruption Institutions from twenty 20 Commonwealth African Countries would share their perspectives on the fight against corruption.
Delivering the Keynote address on behalf of the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Attorney General said that canker is perpetuated by all – government officials, businesses, civil society, the media, public servants, religious organisations and the ordinary person but demand for transparency at all spheres of our engagements would eradication corruption.
Mr Yeboah Dame urged the institutions to work and fight against the deployment of sophisticated schemes to circumvent procedures and facilitate the commission of crime
He said Ghana has established the Office of the Special Prosecutor and put in place anti-corruption legislations like Revenue Administration (Amendment) Act, 2020 (Act 1029); Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2018 (Act 982); State Interests and Governance Authority Act, 2019 (Act 990) and Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044).
Others are the Corporate Restructuring and Insolvency Act, 2020 (Act
1015); Companies Act, 2019 (Act 992); Narcotics Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019); Real Estate Agency Act, 2020 (Act 1047); Whistleblower (Amendment) Act, 2006 (Act 720) and Contracts (Amendment) Act, 2023 (Act 1114).
“Ghana has in recent times, embarked on a deliberate policies like a robust National Identification System, Digital Property Address System, Paperless Port Systems, E-Justice Systems, Pensions and Insurance data and a digitized Land Title Registry to attain accountability and efficiency in the public space,” Attorney General said.
