Vitus Azeem, an anti-corruption activist, believes President Akufo-Addo has failed to impress in his battle against corruption in Ghana.
Nana Akufo-Addo, he adds, must do more to show his desire and commitment to combat corruption.
He stated on Eyewitness News that the President’s anti-corruption efforts and inactivity since taking office do not show a positive record.
“By his conduct, he [Akufo-Addo] has implicated himself… I don’t believe he has a track record in the area of [anti-corruption]… I can say that the president’s anti-corruption efforts have been underwhelming. “The president has a lot more work to do,” he added.
Mr. Azeem was responding to the Minister of Health, Kweku Agyeman-Manu, continuing to serve in office despite an ad hoc parliamentary committee’s finding that he circumvented public procurement procedures in a contract to purchase 300,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccine from a Dubai-based company.
Former executive director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) said he expected the Minister to resign in the wake of the resignation or be fired by President Akufo-Addo if the latter insists on staying in office, but added, “Looking at everything that has happened since this president took office, I don’t expect anything new.”
While praising the President for ensuring the passage of the Right to Information Act and the establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor, he said the President must go beyond the new creations to ensure that the institutions have the resources and independence they need to do their jobs effectively.
“Of course, he ensured that the RTI legislation was enacted and that the Office of the Special Prosecutor was created, but institutions alone would not be able to combat corruption unless they are supported by the required measures. Institutions must be reinforced by providing the necessary resources and allowing them to operate independently.”
Source: CITINEWSROOM
