Ghana loses more than US$3 billion every year through corruption, Deputy Chairman, Operations of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Samuel Asare Akuamoah, has disclosed.
Mr Akuamoah said the enormous resources lost to corruption could instead be channelled into critical areas such as infrastructure development, job creation, healthcare, education and other essential public services.
He made the disclosure in his opening remarks at a Youth Leaders Empowerment Dialogue on the theme, “Civic Engagements on the Rule of Law and the Fight Against Corruption,” held in Accra.
According to him, the scale of Ghana’s annual losses to corruption should serve as a wake-up call, particularly for young people, to become actively involved in the fight against corruption instead of leaving the responsibility solely to state institutions.
Mr Akuamoah challenged young leaders to transform civic education into practical action, stressing that anti-corruption programmes should not become ceremonial events where participants listen to speeches and return home without taking concrete steps to demand accountability.
He urged the youth to champion accountability, transparency and the rule of law, noting that their active participation was essential to protecting public resources and changing Ghana’s governance culture.
Youth Must Lead Anti-Corruption Fight
The Executive Director of Transparency International Ghana, Mary Addah, also called on young people to take the lead in the fight against corruption.
She warned that Ghana could not afford to surrender to cynicism and impunity, particularly at a time when the country’s performance on the Corruption Perceptions Index had remained stagnant between 2020 and 2024.
Mrs Addah described the development as worrying, arguing that it suggested Ghana was not making sufficient progress in its efforts to tackle corruption.
She noted that although Ghana had a strong constitutional and institutional framework for promoting transparency, accountability, integrity and the rule of law, the major challenge was translating those principles into everyday behaviour.
According to her, the rule of law goes beyond simply having laws on the books. It also requires those in positions of authority to exercise power within clearly defined limits and remain accountable to the people.
She stressed that public office was a responsibility entrusted to individuals by citizens and should never be treated as an opportunity to pursue personal interests.
Mrs Addah therefore encouraged young people to embrace integrity, selflessness and responsibility, saying doing the right thing should not depend on whether someone was watching.
Call for Active Youth Participation
Panelists at the dialogue urged the youth to move beyond attending civic education programmes and become active champions of accountability within their communities.
They encouraged young people to use social media, community engagements and civic education clubs to disseminate accurate information, demand transparency and engage public officials on issues affecting citizens.
The panelists also stressed the need for young people to develop a better understanding of the 1992 Constitution, public procurement processes, the national budget, public financial management and the Right to Information Act.
They maintained that the fight against corruption could not be left to state institutions alone, insisting that every citizen had a role to play in protecting the public purse.
The dialogue ultimately called for a stronger culture of civic responsibility, with young Ghanaians encouraged to become more informed, vigilant and willing to demand accountability from public officials.
Story by Stephen Kwaku Owusu Mintah, Ahotoronline, Accra