My gov’t has taken the boldest reforms since independence to tackle corruption – Nana Addo

My administration has undertaken the boldest reforms since independence to tackle corruption – Nana Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated without doubt that his government, since independence in 1957, has taken the boldest initiative to curb corruption in the public sector.

He cited the financial empowerment of anti-corruption agencies, the passage of the Right to Information (RTI) Act and the establishment of the Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP) as proof of his claim.

“I say that my government has taken the boldest initiative since independence to reform and strengthen the capacity of our institutions to deal with corruption in the public sector.”

President Akufo-Addo stated this in a national broadcast on Friday, January 6.

The broadcast marks the 30th anniversary of the Fourth Republic which falls on Saturday, January 7.

The Republic is the longest political stability in Ghana, since Thursday, January 7, 1993 with the swearing in of the last Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings is President.

This period saw the election of five more presidents – three serving eight-year terms, one serving four years and one six months short of his first term because he, unfortunately, died in office.

However, President Akufo-Addo called on all to be proud of the achievement.

He also noted that some may not like this system of government and want authoritarianism, for example, to speed up development.

“There are those who would prefer to have authoritarian rule because they claim that our country is not developing in a complicated democracy and we need to solve it quickly.

“We still have work to do to convince such people that we are all safer in a democracy,” he said.

But all in all, President Akufo-Addo emphasized, improving transparency and accountability can give people hope about the prospects of democracy and deepening it as a system of governance.

“However, if we seek to prolong our democratic journey, it is very important that we improve transparency and accountability in our governance structures and build string institutions that can fight corruption and waste of public funds.”

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