The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), a local Chapter for Transparency International, has appealed to clerics to use their pulpits to influence and preach against corruption.

In a day’s sensitisation exercise organised by the GII and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark International Development Cooperation on the theme: “Anti-Corruption for Faith Based Organisations and Religious Leaders” stressed the importance of the involvement of clerics in the fight against corruption.

The event, held in the Northern Region is expected to be organised in 40 districts within Ashanti, Western as well as Volta regions targeting Religious leaders, Civil Society Organisations (CSO), Youth groups, the Media as well as Women Groups.

The exercise was aimed at building the capacity of clerics on the need to preach against corruption while creating the awareness on the act of corruption from the religious perspective to fight corruption. Mr Joseph Mikado Azam an official from GII indicated that Inter-faith Project dubbed: “Speak Up, Resist And Report Corruption” seeks to use the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP) to foster the need to fight corruption at the district level. He said the project was intended to increase the awareness of corruption by 40 per cent, corruption reporting by 40 per cent in five years, stressing that the GII’s strategic objectives were in response to identified problems as outlined by NACAP. Mr Azam said inadequate supervision and coordination in the implementation of anti-corruption strategies in the country, contributed to Ghana’s inability to end the act of bribery and corruption.

Mr Fuseini Karimu, Deputy Coordinating Director of the Gushegu Municipal Assembly said clerics served as mentors and teachers of societies, hence the need for their involvement to lead the fight against corruption to promote development.

He said corruption remained a common enemy to the progress and development of the country, indicating the need for the strategic implementation of NACAP and clerics to support the fight to eradicate the canker.

Mr Karimu lauded the efforts of the GII for extending the sensitisation exercise to the clerics and other religious bodies to build the capacity in using the pulpit to preach against bribery and corruption to support development.