Ghanaians have been urged to fight corruption at any given chance, even if there might be dire consequences for doing so.

“There are harsh realities of fighting corruption. It could cost one dearly. But if more brave people stand their ground that would influence the rest.”

Madam Josephine Nkrumah, Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), said this at the Basics in Integrity Education Stakeholders meeting held in Accra.

She said it was important to work towards achieving a society in which corruption was so repugnant, that it was shunned by most people.

Madam Nkrumah, who also chaired the meeting, said it would do the society a lot of good, if the fight against corruption was done so well that “integrity is associated with the Ghanaian society”.

She said the root cause of the persistence of corruption was the lack of integrity amongst a good number of the citizenry, adding that imbuing high moral values in people and as a result, having these people apply those values without any coercion from the law, was critical to eradicating corruption from the society.

Madam Nkrumah said people typically grew up adopting values that they naturally picked from their families and schools, adding that parents and guardians should show the right attitude around children, to ensure that these children picked the right values and habits, as future leaders.

“If we will fight corruption, then what you teach in the schools is important. The key to fighting corruption lies in our young ones who can imbibe the values easier,” she said.

Mr. Michael Ohene-Effah, co-founder of LaedAfrique International, initiators of the project, said corruption was one of the top causes for the lack of development in Africa over the past 40 years.

He said the Basics in Integrity Education project, sought to create a new generation of Ghanaians of high moral standing and in effect, an improved quality of leadership in the public sector.

Mr. Ohene-Effah observed that it was preferable to focus on corruption prevention through striving to create a generation of people who were of high moral standing.

He said this suggested a more pro-active and preventive approach.

The project, an in-school anti-corruption basics project, was conceived to educate secondary school age students on the tenets of integrity.

It is to be used in nurturing young people in the country into cultivating values that would impact positively on the next generation, towards fighting corruption in the country.

It is a collaboration between LeadAfrique International, a non-profit organization which unearths greatness in young people, and the National Council for Curriculum Assessment Agency of the Ministry of Education.