A Parliamentary Journalist and Development Communicator, Clement Akoloh, has called for stronger measures to address corruption in Ghana, warning that the country’s current systems are failing to effectively deal with corrupt practices.
In a zoom meeting with Nana Frimpong Ziega on Kessben TV’s Digest, he said, corruption has become widespread across various sectors of the country, a situation he describes as deeply worrying.
He noted that the involvement of individuals in corrupt activities across different arms of governance has gradually become normalized within society, a trend he believes undermines national development.
Mr. Akoloh argued that the existing system appears to indirectly encourage corrupt practices because offenders are rarely punished after being exposed. He cited the work of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, which frequently questions officials following the release of the Auditor-General’s reports.
However, he pointed out that these appearances before the committee often end without further legal action, allowing individuals implicated in financial irregularities to walk away without facing prosecution.
“The Public Accounts Committee itself says it does not have prosecutorial powers, so the question is why the country continues to spend time and resources on hearings that do not lead to punishment for offenders,” he said.
Mr. Akoloh stressed that the absence of strong political will to punish those involved in corruption is one of the key reasons the problem persists and continues to escalate each year.
He further observed that once corruption cases move from accountability discussions into the political arena, public momentum for justice tends to fade.
He therefore called for reforms that will strengthen institutions and ensure that corruption cases lead to concrete sanctions, stressing that without accountability, efforts to fight corruption will remain ineffective.
