Awards for Sale: Corruption Watch Official Questions Credibility of Award Schemes

A Programme Officer at Corruption Watch Ghana, Samuel Harrison-Cudjoe, has raised concerns over the credibility and transparency of some award schemes, questioning the practice of requesting payments from nominees before conferring awards.

Speaking on the integrity of award systems on Kessben TV’s Digest show, Harrison-Cudjoe argued that awards should be based strictly on merit, not on nominees’ ability to pay money.
“Awards don’t warrant payment of money to merit an awardee,” he stressed.
He challenged organizers of such schemes to be transparent about their credentials, sponsors, and track records.
“The question is who is behind the said awards. What are their credible track records and who were their sponsors?” he asked.

According to him, beyond the identities of organizers, the criteria used to select winners must also come under scrutiny.
“We should also question their metrics to arrive at their results,” he noted.

Harrison-Cudjoe further questioned the authenticity of some award programmes that claim to have operated for several years but provide little public information about their activities and impact.
“They claimed it is the sixth award scheme, but the optics around it don’t inform the genuineness of their work,” he stated.

He said the controversy highlights broader concerns about how public officials and appointees are assessed and recognized, insisting that performance indicators should be made public.
The anti-corruption advocate called on the government to disclose the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) assigned to appointees, enabling citizens to evaluate their effectiveness independently.
“The government must reveal the KPI of its appointees so we can follow up on their effect,” he said.

Harrison-Cudjoe maintained that it is inappropriate for award organizers to solicit money from nominees before presenting awards, warning that such practices risk undermining public confidence in recognition programmes.
His comments come amid growing public debate over the credibility of the recent Big Event Ghana awards and the standards used to honor public officials and institutions.