General News of Saturday, 25 March 2006

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East Africa Corruption investigations -Lesson for Ghana

The Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative local arm of Transparency International Daniel Batidam has called on Ghanaian and other West African leaders to draw lessons from recent corruption investigations in Kenya and Uganda.

Mr. Batidam who was reacting to recent investigation of Uganda?s Health Minister on Corruption charges said though efforts to deal with corruption in East Africa are not fool proof they hold lessons for Ghana and her West African neighbours.

He said, ?here in Ghana or in West Africa in general for that matter I think there are similar circumstances and situations that need more urgent action than perhaps what the governments are doing. There are a lot of lessons but also are they new? I?m not sure they are new?.

?The lessons have always come. The people don?t mean to do some thing they want to make it a fa?ade, they want to give impressions, infact do I call it shadow boxing. They want people to think that they are fighting corruption but internally they don?t mean to do it?.

Mr. Batidam said African leaders should not restrict their efforts at merely investigating the allegations but additionally should do more to rid their countries of the canker.

?The fact that we are beginning to have public enquiries and people being made to answer in front of either cameras or even if it was held in camera it is the beginning of something but I must quickly add that these commissions are becoming an overdose in Africa?.