News:
December 4, 2018
Member of Parliament (MP) for Ho West Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah has lamented over Transparency International report that six out of ten countries considered most corrupt in the world for the past decade are from Sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the Ho West lawmaker, the African Union also estimates corruption cost to the continent at about one hundred and fifty billion dollars (US$150 billion) annually, an amount that is about seven times of the amount received by sub-Saharan African as aid.
In a statement on the floor of the House, he noted that this has drawn the attention of the continental body to declare this year as a year of anti-corruption in Africa to raise the awareness, and drum home the toll corruption is having on the transformational agenda of the continent and to address it with sense of urgency.
Mr. Speaker back home in Ghana, the story is not different, as Ghana is on record to be losing an estimated amount of three billion dollars (US$3billion) of taxpayer’s money to corrupt activities, an amount that is about three times the money spent on free Senior High School (SHS) last year.
He further pointed out that, that is why the African Parliamentarians’ network against corruption (APNAC) Ghana in fulfillment of its mission has resolved to join all forces to combat corruption in all forms with the support of civil society organization and the general public.
To this end, Mr. Speaker APNAC-Ghana in collaboration with civil society and anti-corruption agencies have declared first Monday of very month starting from this month as an anti-corruption day to battle corruption in the country.
By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com