POLICE AND CEPS IDENTIFIED AS MOST CORRUPT INSTITUTIONS-SURVEY REVEALS

14-10-09 POLICE AND CEPS IDENTIFIED AS MOST CORRUPT INSTITUTIONS-SURVEY REVEALS
The Ghana Police Service and the Custom Excise and Preventive Services (CEPS) have been identified as the two most corrupt institutions among other others institutions in the country. This was contained in an African Peer Review Mechanism Monitoring and Evaluation (APRM) report presented to participants at a day validation workshop for Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region. The Executive Secretary of the Municipal Oversight Committee, Mike Fuoh also mentioned the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) as the least corrupt institutions across the country. Isaac Asare has the rest of the story.

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Report


The workshop which was organized by the National African Peer Review Mechanism Governing Council was attended by chiefs, religious and opinion leaders, heads of departments, civil society groups, members of the municipal oversight committee and the APRM governing council, a section of the public and the press. In a presentation, the Secretary of the municipal oversight committee, Mr. Mike Fuoh, mentioned the Ghana Police Service and the Custom Excise and Preventive Services as the two most corrupt institutions in the country. This according to him was based on a survey conducted in four thematic areas namely; Democracy and Good Governance, Economic Governance and Management, Corporate Governance as well as Socio-economic development. The Executive Secretary of the NAPRM governing council, Dr Francis Appiah said Ghana which is the pace setter of the APRM system has chalked successes over the past few years. He noted that the APRM which is seeking to improve and deepen civil society participation in governance at the local level through establishment of district APRM oversight committees, is important for Africa’s development and should be embraced by all meaning Ghanaians devoid of party politics. He emphasized that the recent by the US President, Barrack Obama to the country, is a true indication that the APRM programme is on course. He therefore appealed to the general public to participate fully in the local governance system since the populace at the district level live with the problem of instability, deprivation, poverty, misery, hopelessness and health related issues. He hinted that a national validation would be held in the country after collating all the report from the 20 selected districts in the country, adding that the final report that will come out would be presented at the next African Union Summit by the President, Prof. J.E.A Mills. He entreated the various district assemblies to have gain access to the report collated by the oversight committee so that they can inform their development planning. The Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive, Epsona Ayamga, who supported the programme with 650 Ghana Cedis, commended the APRM Governing Council and the Municipal Oversight Committee for their contribution to government’s commitment of providing good governance at the door step of the people in the country. He re-echoed the need for people to contribute their quota to the promotion of good governance in the country. Some of the participants during an open forum cautioned the police and other security agencies to redeem their image by eschewing extortion and other negative tendencies to move the country forward.
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