OUR COLLECTIVE RESOLVE (MAY 5, 2010)

IN its quest to ensure good governance and improve the lot of the people, the government has declared its intention to fight corruption by strengthening anti-corruption institutions.
There is very little doubt that for most developing countries and even some developed countries, corruption remains a serious drawback to efforts at improving living conditions and the standard of living.
Corruption in all forms and at all places, both in the private and the public sectors, has debased otherwise promising economic and social models, robbing them of their gains.
The linkage between corruption and poverty has been documented in some reports and one of such reports is the African Union report presented at a meeting in Addis Ababa in September 2002.
The report estimated that corruption cost African economies in excess of $148 billion a year and the figure included both direct and indirect cost of corruption.
In another study by the World Bank, poor people reported hundreds of incidents of corruption as they attempted to, among other efforts seek health care and educate their children.
Indeed, in most developing countries, corruption cuts across all facets of economic and social life, threatening vital institutions such as the police, the judiciary and the media.
As the country continues to position itself as the choicest investment destination in the sub-region and on the continent, it is important to strengthen safeguards and institutions that are at the core of the fight against corruption.
Thus the caution by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu, that officials of multi-national companies that are found culpable of corrupt practices will never go unpunished is timely.
This is no doubt a strong signal that the practice of foreigners flouting the country’s laws with impunity, without any reprisals, will not be entertained.
There is no doubt that Ghanaians are generally very hospitable to foreigners and are usually willing to assist them when they are in need.
Yet, that proverbial Ghanaian hospitality must not become a weakness to the extent that corrupt practices by foreign investors are ignored and allowed to fester.
Ultimately, the strength of a country’s anti-corruption credentials, aside helping to boost economic growth, also serves as an important tool to lure potential investors into the country.
But we dare say that investors must not be the only people under the microscope when it comes to corruption. The recent exposé by the investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, on bribery and corruption in the cocoa trade across the nation’s western corridor must be a wake-up call for all.
Not just that; it is also common knowledge that our society, by and large, is choked with corrupt practices all over the place. The DAILY GRAPHIC, therefore, believes that the war on this nefarious activity must be relentlessly waged in all the nooks and crannies of the country.
Some countries have virtually become investor unfriendly because of the perception of dangerous levels of corruption and the DAILY GRAPHIC hopes that the government will take the necessary steps to ensure that the country continues to improve its anti-corruption rating and does not descend into an abyss.
It is our belief that the government will also continue to act tough on local investors who flout the country’s laws and engage in corrupt practices.