News:
July 28, 2026
Ghana’s outgoing Chair of the National Integrity Awards Scheme, Rt. Hon. Speaker Alban Sumana Bagbin, has made a passionate call for the initiative to be elevated to the same national stature as Founders’ Day and the National Best Teacher Awards.
He made the remarks on July 27, 2026, during the official inauguration of a new 16-member committee, now chaired by retired Supreme Court Justice William Atuguba.
In his final address as head of the committee, Bagbin stressed that the awards must be a permanent, annual fixture on the national calendar—not a symbolic gesture. “We will celebrate annually and we will feed our nation with integrity,” he said. “Integrity cannot be outsourced. It must be cultivated in the home, in the classroom, in the office, in the church, in the mosque, in the market, courtroom, district assembly, police station, newsroom, boardroom, and departments.”
To drive his point home, Bagbin cited the story of a young student from Swedru who found a significant sum of money and handed it over to his headmistress, who later reunited it with its owner. The Speaker singled out the boy as his personal first nomination for the committee’s consideration. Noting that an international organisation has already honoured the child, Bagbin declared: “What this boy is going to get will be more than what was in the bag.”
The choice of Swedru carried extra weight, Bagbin suggested, referencing the town’s unfortunate association with “sakawa” (internet fraud). “Many of you in your mind when you hear Swedru you think about Swedru in another context… And this is somebody from Swedru who has done this. Do you need more evidence?” he asked, using the example to underscore that integrity can flourish anywhere.
Turning his focus to Ghanaian youth, Bagbin issued a generational challenge: success must be redefined by character over visibility. “You are growing up in a world where success is sometimes measured by visibility, wealth, and influence rather than by character, sacrifice, and service,” he said. “But the future of Ghana will depend not only on your intelligence but also on your character… Every generation must decide whether it will normalise moral decline or rebuild public virtue. Our generation must choose the latter.”
The newly inaugurated committee, chaired by Justice William Atuguba, brings together representatives from the Chief Imam, Christian Council, National House of Chiefs, CHRAJ, GACC, TI-Ghana, Parliament, NUGS, the Women’s Rights Network, and the Diaspora. The body has already developed rules and a dedicated website for public nominations. Bagbin appealed directly to the President and all state institutions to back the scheme, urging: “It must become a shared national undertaking. We need the support of all gathered here as representatives of Ghanaian society.”
Ghanamps.com