GACC launches accountability media watch project
Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) and Global Media Alliance (GMA), on Thursday organised a stakeholder project inception meeting in Accra, to wet the grounds for the implementation of the Whistleblower Act.
STAR-Ghana, a multi-donor pooled organisation, is sponsoring the project dubbed: “Speak up- An Accountability Media Watch”, which would run till November 2014 and spans Greater Accra, Western and Ashanti Regions.
It aims at improving the level of transparency and accountability in the education and health sectors, by increasing public education on the effects of corruption and the use of anti-corruption legislations such as the Whistleblower Act 2006 (Act 720).
Mrs Florence Dennis, Executive Secretary of GACC, said the meeting was necessary to ensure the sustenance of the project through the collaboration of stakeholders like Economic and Organised Crime Office, Judicial Service, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Public Procurement Authority and the media.
She appealed to the citizenry to demand value for money from the services of the public sector.
Mr Martin Ankrah of GMA said Transparency International’s, corruption perception index indicates that corruption is becoming endemic in Ghana.
According to an Afro barometer study carried out by Centre for Democratic Development, a think-tank, “out of every five Ghanaians only one person is likely to report any incidence of corruption should it happen”.
Mr Ankrah said there would be live education and discussions on anti-corruption laws especially on the Whistleblower Act on ETV Ghana, Happy FM and Anigye FM – affiliate media outlets of GMA.
There would also be a roundtable with key policy makers and key stakeholder /media meetings to disseminate key findings.
Mr Q. Arday of ETV Ghana is leading a team to come out with a documentary on the ill effects of corruption.
GACC is a cross-sectoral, multi-stakeholder coalition of private, civil society, media and religious bodies with a vision to promote accountability and integrity.
It also acts as a channel to the larger civil society in Ghana, in disseminating global issues such as the aid effectiveness agenda, global principles of civil society organisations, development effectiveness and other policies on anti-corruption.
Ghana Media Alliance Broadcasting Company aims at being at the forefront of development in Ghana and Africa by working towards reducing corruption and endorsing transparency.
Source: GNA