President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Monday, September 11, 2023, delivered a speech at the 2023 Bar Conference of the Ghana Bar Association at Cape Coast, in the Central Region.
In his speech, President Akufo-Addo highlighted the government’s efforts to fight corruption, which he described as “one of the most intractable challenges facing our country.”
The President said that his government has undertaken “arguably, the boldest initiatives since our nation attained independence, nearly sixty-six (66) years ago, to reform and strengthen the capacity of our institutions to tackle corruption in the public sector.”
These initiatives, he said, include:
- The establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to investigate and prosecute high-level corruption cases.
- The passage of the Right to Information Act (RTI) to give citizens greater access to information about the government’s activities.
- The strengthening of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate complaints of corruption and abuse of power.
- The creation of the Arise Ghana Foundation to promote anti-corruption education and awareness.
President Akufo-Addo said that these initiatives are “grounded on legislative, financial and institutional action, and not on mere lip-service.”
He urged the Ghana Bar Association to support the government’s fight against corruption by providing legal advice and representation to the OSP and other anti-corruption agencies.
He also urged the Association to “continue to speak out against corruption and to hold public officials accountable for their actions.”
The President’s speech was well-received by the delegates at the Bar Conference, who applauded his government’s efforts to fight corruption.
In a statement issued after the speech, the Ghana Bar Association said that it “commends the government for its commitment to fighting corruption.”
The Association said that it is “committed to working with the government to ensure that Ghana becomes a corruption-free country.”