Mercy Larbi, Deputy Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), has stated that corruption in the African Continent undermines the realisation of basic Human Rights, and for that matter, African leaders and policy makers must put in every efforts in the fight against it and related issues, especially among the politically exposed.
Ms Larbi disclosed this at the opening session of the 32nd Christ of Hymns African Human Rights Moot Court Competition, where students from selected African universities converged at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) last Monday.
The theme for the event was: “The Africa we want, Sexual and Gender Minority Rights in Africa, Climate change and Corruption.”
The Deputy CHRAJ Commissioner stated that, many sectors of human lives were negatively affected by acts of corruption, and described it as the stumbling block of the right to quality healthcare and provision of infrastructure facilities, and undermining the realisation of human rights in total.
According to her, the government of Ghana, for instance, was making efforts in the fight against corruption by establishing the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) in 2017 to interrogate corruption and related issues, especially that which concern the politically exposed, and the digitalisation of most of the government institutions in the fight against corruption for development.
She indicated that building a robust ethical and accountability mechanism was key to the fight against corruption in the neighboring countries, and entreated governments to ensure that the necessary investment had been made to make sure that the various mechanisms put in place were effectively working.
Lawyer Yaw Boafo, President of Ghana Bar Association, revealed that, corruption affected democratic governance on the African Continent with the intensity of corruption, embezzlement and fraud among others, African remains corrupt, and must intensify the advocacy against the corrupt practices through the competition.
He disclosed that, Ghana has made progress in 30 years of Democratic governance and produced two female Chief Justices and one Speaker of Parliament towards achieving gender equality and equal Rights.
Mr. Boafo also urged governments to employ technological approach in agricultural practices and production in the face of illegal mining destroying our farmlands, water bodies and forest reserves.
