The recent concerns raised by the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) about what they described as “massive uncontrolled corruption” have not gone unnoticed, drawing the attention of the UK High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson. Thompson expressed her viewpoint on this issue, stating that corruption is significantly hindering the country’s progress and seems to have become ingrained, according to reports from Citinewsroom.com.
During a media interaction at the 75th birthday celebration of King Charles III at her residence, Thompson remarked on the detrimental impact of corruption on Ghana. She highlighted that if the funds flowing into the country were utilized as intended, Ghana could achieve faster development. Thompson acknowledged that corruption is a challenge not unique to Ghana but is prevalent in many countries globally.
The UK High Commissioner emphasized the importance of addressing the issue, noting that the public perception of high corruption negatively affects Ghana’s reputation and contributes to its standing on corruption indices. Beyond discussing corruption, Thompson also touched upon the upcoming 2024 general elections. She assured the UK’s support to ensure a peaceful, transparent, free, and fair electoral process.
Thompson mentioned the longstanding collaboration with the Electoral Commission and ongoing efforts to combat mis/disinformation, a challenge that has surfaced in various elections. Expressing confidence in the democratic process, she stated that with the assistance of civil society and political actors, Ghana can conduct another election that is free from discord and characterized by democratic principles.
