When Corruption Becomes a Household Name in Ghana  

Francis K. Gamli – Dovene,

June 9, 2018//-Though security issues in Ghana have been taken for granted, corruption has gradually taken over, and becomes a household name.

Though any form of corruption must be condemned, the one linked with people’s life is more pronounced and devastating when it occurs.

Corruption has been accepted by some people as the only avenue to getting their happiness, and they do so at the expense of larger society.

The one that happened recently exposed by Anas Aremeyaw Anas is just a tip in an iceberg. There are several forms of corruption going on unnoticed;  be it the police service, education sector, government, among others.

Many also think that when corruption is being mentioned, it is only about someone looting money somewhere. Is it about intentionally using the wrong person for the right job? Is it about accepting money before giving out something?;

Is it about changing the destiny of someone negatively? Is about exchanging sex for something? Is it about selling your country cheap outside?;  Is it about giving out something to another person that legitimately belongs to someone?

Is it about buying  fake goods for the country for selfish gain?; Is it about unnecessarily over staffing a public office just to create unrealistic jobs?;  Is it about using public funds unnecessarily because you cannot be questioned?;  Is it about recruiting unqualified people to execute a job?;  Is it about deceiving a nation for personal gain?;  Is it about making secret profit in national assignment?; Is it about delaying someone’s opportunity?; Is it about using someone’s name wrongfully for personal gain?; Is it about over pricing or under pricing for personal gain?, is it about lying of a sort to gain?, is it about tarnishing someone’s image for personal gain?;  Is it about awarding fake contract?;  Is it about diverting national property to personal one?; in whatever form it comes, it has a serious adverse implication on the economy.

Implications

Many projects that are on various stages of completion, that are abandoned is because, corruption was the ingredient of awarding such contracts. When Ghana as a country running everywhere cap in hand, begging for less than $20b loans, corruption is taking away over $100b. This is the example of situations we have in Ghana.

Let us analyse a simple financial issue without any complex mathematics. One can only go in for a loan if you do not have money but you have a pressing need to satisfy which brings more benefits than the cost of the loan.

Else, it is not worth borrowing. Why Ghana is going in for loans? This is because we need money as a country to develop. How do we develop?

Through investment, real growth can come to us. Unfortunately, Ghana borrows money, characterized with corruption from day one, we bring such monies into the country, start a project nicely, then abandon the project in the name of change of government or apparently for no reason.

The loans must be paid; how? The project cannot yield any return to pay such loans, so the government of the day begins to tax the citizens to repay such loans.

Let us remember, they still go for more loans, the previous projects are at standstill, we start another fresh project, professionally abandon them, going for more loans, finding ways to repay, tax the people more.

And that is the web we find ourselves in as a nation. Unfortunately, we use the taxpayers money to pay such people who bring the nation backward.

Does it involve any mathematics to follow the above argument? No! It is just a simple logic. The call by some of our seasoned professors and well meaning Ghanaians to do national “project audit” is a call in the right direction.

I also want to suggest that, detailed analysis should be done to see which regime of government is more blameable in abandonment of projects, and such moneys be traced.

Advice

We cannot rely only on tax to raise the needed revenue to grow. The reasons for which loans are taken should be managed to recoup such monies to pay such loans.

My humble advice to Ghanaians, especially those in public service is that, they should try to create solutions to our problems and they would never be forgotten.

As a nation, we need development plan rather than political manifestos to move this country forward. Our established institutions must be given the needed resources to fight corruption to the top and good examples must begin from within governmen

No one should be shield when found culpable of corruption.

By Francis K. Gamli – Dovene,  PhD Student, and  facilitator, University of Cape Coast (UCC) -CoDE& UEW-IDeL

 

 

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