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Some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working on anti-corruption and good governance issues have expressed disappointment at government’s lack of commitment to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
The CSOs which include; Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, Ghana Integrity Initiative and Ghana Center for Democratic Development noted that it is imperative for the OSP to be well resourced financially in its first year of operations.
Their concern follows a meeting with the SP, Mr. Kissi Agyebeng, on Tuesday, October 26, 2021 at the Office of the Special Prosecutor at Ridge, Accra.
The meeting was called at the invitation of the SP to deliberate on how best the OSP collaborate with CSOs to engender a public space where corruption is a high risk and low reward activity.
The CSOs, in a jointly signed statement issued on November 4, 2021, said that “we are dismayed to hear that of the GHS 1.2 billion that was budgeted for capital and recurrent expenditure, only GHS 80 million was allocated for the 2022 financial year representing only 6.6% of what was requested”.
The GHS 1.2 billion, according to them, is far below what was allocated by government in the 2018 financial year to set up the office, although the money was never accessed.
Despite acknowledging the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on government resources, they pleaded with President Akufo-Addo to ensure the OSP has adequate funding for the first crucial year of operations.
“Nonetheless, we urge government to do its best to ensure the OSP is finally able to get off the ground so it can do its important integrity building and anti-corruption work, an agenda that the President and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have identified as a key development priority if Ghana is to transform and go beyond aid”, the CSOs added.
Additionally, the statement touched on the SP’s vision for the Office which included “focusing on corruption prevention activities targeted at addressing issues such as gift-giving, developing and preparing integrity plans for public agencies, conducting corruption risk assessments for major financial transactions, production of a manual to guide citizens on the operations of the Office and the launch of a flagship tool to track the progress of institutions called the Corruption League Table”.
The CSOs further commended Kissi Agyebeng for his effort to communicate and engage with citizens through the media and online platforms and recommended that this activity be extended to the regions to help educate Ghanaians on the work of the OSP.
