Jirapa (UW/R), July 21, GNA - Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), the local chapter of Transparency International on Thursday urged the Government to lay the "Freedom of Information Bill" before Parliament for passage into law.

This is because in its view, a guaranteed right to information was an essential and practical anti-corruption measure.

Mrs. Linda Ofori-Kwafo, Acting Executive Secretary of GII made this call at a two-day workshop at Jirapa in the Upper West Region, organized by GII in conjunction with the Tamale Ecclesiastical Provincial Pastoral Conference (TEPPCON) of the Catholic Church and the Jirapa/Lambussie District Secretariat of the National Commission on Civic Education. Under the theme: "Fighting Corruption - An Agenda for Democracy and Good Governance", the workshop attracted 70 participants including representatives of ministries, departments and agencies, both current and aspiring assembly members, youth groups, chiefs and opinion leaders. It sought to raise awareness about the negative effects of corruption and to empower citizens at the local level to demand responsiveness, accountability and transparency from people and institutions in their communities.

Mrs. Ofori-Kwafo noted that high levels of corruption could result in the breakdown of law and order and extreme violations of human rights and therefore, government and stakeholders should ensure the enjoyment of the fundamental rights of Ghanaians, as an antidote to the negative effects of corruption in the society.

She advised the people to desist from collecting monies from prospective assembly members, since such a stance could enable them to effectively hold them accountable, when they were eventually elected to the assemblies.

Most Reverend Paul Bemile, Bishop of the Wa Diocese of the Catholic Church, called on Ghanaians, especially women to take serious interest in the forthcoming district level elections and offer themselves for election to the district assemblies.

He observed that the marginalizing of women remained a real problem in the country, despite constitutional and other legislative provisions to protect and preserve the rights of women.

On corruption, he said efforts to check it had met with insufficient success, because there was the need for a complete change of attitude by everybody, because a collective effort to fight it was a necessary requirement.

Mr George Hikah Benson, Deputy Upper West Regional Minster said the Public Procurement Act, Financial Administration Act and the Whistle Blowers Bill were geared towards closing leakages in public finance and saving funds for national development.

The strengthening of local governance, he stated was another way of dealing with the menace of corruption.

Ms. Agnes Gandaa, Coordinator of TEPPCON said until people were principled enough to reject negative influences such as refusing cloths, bicycles, rice, money and other items provided by party agents to claim their mandate to either retain or bring them to power, corruption could not be fought. 21 July 06