A lecturer at the University of Ghana School of Law and Special Prosecutor of Ghana, Mr Kissi Agyebeng recently shared his thoughts on the fight against corruption and his journey as the Special Prosecutor at the third edition of Joy Fm’s Joy Change Speakers Series on the theme; Influencing Change for Lasting Economic Revival.
Mr. Agyebeng was candid on his thoughts saying even though the country has all the ammunitions to fight corruption, we are simply not ready for it. “As a country, are we ready for the fight against corruption? Are we ready to put Ghana first? From where I sit, I don’t think we are. We expect so much from institutions fighting corruption, but collectively I would say we aren’t ready to fully eradicate corruption in our country. I say this because close to about 60% of persons in Ghana fear a retaliation, if they were to report corruption, which I believe is a damning blow to our fight against corruption”, he noted.
He said the fight will be successful when the citizenry view issues of corruption as concerned citizens of the country and not from partisan or tribal perspectives.
He maintained that understanding that corruption has dire effects on the country over an extended period which in turn affects the citizens and the future generation of Ghanaians should be reason enough to play an active part in the fight against corruption.
“It seems to us, at the Office of the Special Prosecutor, that we (Ghanaians) are only happy that the anti-corruption work is going on if it is against our political opponent, our perceived opponent and adversary. But when it hits home, when it hits against our political views, when it hits against our friends, we entirely forget about the fight against corruption”, he said.
In order for Ghana to fully participate in the fight against corruption, Mr. Agyebeng believes “the government, oversight institutions and citizens must increase their commitment to the cause and actively play their part in providing the necessary information or resources needed to win the fight against corruption.”
The Joy Change Speakers Series is a Joy FM NewsFile initiative that seeks to speak change into lives and the nation as a whole, leading to a change in citizen conduct and policies.
The third edition of the Series was aired on Saturday, 31st December, 2022. Other speakers on the show included; Dr. Yaw Perbi; Global CEO, The HuD Group; Boland O. Akosah; Entrepreneur; Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum; MP, Bosomtwe and Minister of Education; Prof. Raymond Akongburo Atuguba; Dean, University of Ghana School of Law; Constance Elizabeth Swaniker; Founder and CEO, Design and Technology Institute; Abraham Dwuma Odoom; Former MP, Former Deputy Minister and Agribusiness Consultant, and Rosy Fynn; Ghana Country Director, MasterCard Foundation.