HEATED DEBATE OVER `SOLI` HERALDS CORRUPTION REPORT

… Audrey Gadzekpo kicks against practice, but some journalists justify it
Posted: Friday, September 25, 2009

By Charles Takyi - Boadu

Some call it transportation fee, others call it facilitation fee, while the larger majority who know of it, especially those in the media fraternity, call it solidarity, or simply ‘Soli’.
The issue of event organisers occasionally giving journalists’ money after covering programmes, became a topic for discussion during the launch of the Global Corruption Report (GCR) at the British Council Hall in Accra on Wednesday.

The event, which was organised by the local chapter of Transparency International (TI), Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), sparked deep-seated emotions from both sides of the divide.

This was after a man who identified himself as an anti-corruption supporter, Justice Frimpong, asked the question as to whether the act of giving journalists money after events did not amount to corruption, since according to him it had the tendency of influencing the way and manner in which journalists write stories.

This sparked a heated debate, which compelled some journalists around to respond to the issue raised.

While some agreed that giving or taking ‘soli’, as they prefer to call it, was not the best of practices, others sought to justify the act, with the belief that it was an act of showing appreciation to journalists for their time spent, and participation in any given programme.

Much as some agreed that taking ‘soli’ makes it susceptible for journalists’ to compromise their conscience, which tends to influence them in the discharge of their constitutionally mandated duty, they juxtaposed that with the existing and prevailing poor conditions under which they work.

Many of them spoke about the appalling conditions of service at the various media houses, stressing that this and others compelled most journalists to compromise their conscience for monetary benefits, since ‘man must survive’.

This justification obviously did not go down well with Dr. Audrey Gadzekpo, Acting Director and Senior Lecturer at the School of Communication Studies of the University of Ghana, Legon, who happens to be a Board Member of GII, who vehemently spoke out against the act.

Much as she appreciates the poor and appalling conditions under which most Ghanaian journalists’ live and work, she emphasised that it should not be a justification for either demanding or taking ‘soli’, since the ethics of the Ghana Journalists’ Association

(GJA) profession frowns on such practices.

No matter how one sees it, the Legon Don said, ‘soli’ is and will always be a inducement, since it in one way or the other goes to influence journalists in the discharge of their constitutionally mandated duty, which under normal circumstances they should discharge dispassionately.

Equally not happy with the trend, the Executive Secretary of GII, Vitus Azeem, also cautioned journalists to desist from such practices, since, in his candid opinion, it amounted to an act of corruption.

He asked journalists to live above reproach in the exercise of their duty, considering the fact that “all that glitters is not gold.”

This year’s GCR, titled ‘Corruption and the Private Sector,’ featured more than 75 experts examining the scale, scope, and devastating consequences of corporate corruption.

This was complemented by 45 indepth country reports, along with best practices and practical recommendations.

The report shows how corrupt practices constitute a destructive force that undermines fair competition, stifles economic growth, and ultimately undercuts business.

The Global Corruption Report 2009, documents many cases of managers, majority shareholders, and other actors inside corporations, who abuse their entrusted power for personal gain, to the detriment of owners, investors, employees, and society at large.

In developing and transition countries alone, companies colluding with corrupt politicians and government officials, have supplied bribes estimated at up to US $40 billion annually, according to the GCR.

The Report also presents evidence of persistently close linkages between businesses and governments in developing and industrialised countries alike, multiple conflicts of interest, and the growing risks of disproportionate influence on the part of corporate lobbying.

The Report reveals that in Africa, the informal sector amounts to more than 40 per cent of the economy in many countries, and the lack of legal protection, coupled with the desire to dodge regulations, makes the sector easy prey for extortion, and the solicitation of bribes by corrupt officials.

In Burundi, for example, 90 per cent of entrepreneurs think paying bribes is standard practice. In Morocco, integrity studies have found that only seven per cent of Moroccan companies have attempted to act when faced with corruption. In Angola and Uganda, the cost of starting a business, surpasses the average per capita income, putting formal status well beyond the means of many informal entrepreneurs. In Zimbabwe, high inflation and the introduction of price controls have contributed to a massive, parallel, informal economy that provides opportunities for middlemen and exploitation.

Here in Ghana, Mr. Azeem noted that politicians and public officials collude with private sector practitioners to enrich themselves.

According to him, the private sector pays bribes because they are either asked for it, or they believe that is the only way to get what they want, stressing that contracts, licenses, payments for work done, etc., especially, when there are unexplained delays in processing and red tapeism, complex regulations and procurement procedures, foster corruption.

“It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between private sector corruption and public sector corruption,” he said, asking rhetorically “when a Minister or a DCE (as reported in the GCR) establishes companies, awards contracts to them, and takes kickbacks for himself or the party, is it private sector or public sector corruption? When engineers in public institutions set up companies, using names of friends and family members, through which they channel contracts, which they then supervise, is it public or private sector corruption?”

Whatever the answer may be, the GII boss noted, it blemishes the image of the private and public sectors, as well as the government, especially, when nothing is done to address the problem.

According to him, fighting corruption at the nexus of private and public entities requires a radical change in the government’s commitment to addressing these problems, indicating that prompt investigations and prosecution of alleged corrupt acts, as well as strong sanctions for violators, constitute one solution.

However, he emphasised that this approach can be successful only when the political leadership adopts a strong anti-corruption stance, saying “political will to fight corruption has been the problem with our governments, especially, when it comes to cases affecting party faithfuls and funders.”

Whilst admitting that Ghana has put in place the enabling legal environment for key stakeholders to operate smoothly, including legislation to enable citizens report cases of corruption, and enable accountability institutions to investigate credible reports of alleged corruption cases and prosecute violators, Mr. Azeem however, noted that the Freedom of Information Bill had still not been enacted to enable citizens fully utilise the existing laws in fighting corruption.

Moreover, he indicated that the much talked-about Assets Declaration Law (Act 550) needs to be amended, and the proposed regulations approved by Parliament, to make the law an effective anti-corruption tool.

In furtherance of his speech, the anti-corruption crusader said recent revelations by the Audit Service that several audit reports have not been acted upon, are of grave concern, since in his opinion, “they demonstrate a waste of both human and financial resources, and the inability of Parliament to play its oversight role effectively.”

The findings from the GCR 2009, suggest a change in strategy and action, to ensure that corruption in the business sector is tackled effectively, and thus recommends the following:

* Corruption risks in business start with bribery and go beyond. It thus requires an integrated approach to corporate integrity and corporate citizenship.

* Governments need to use new generation innovative tools that put much more emphasis on regulatory capabilities, actual enforcement and international cooperation.

* Civil society needs to forge much broader and more effective partnerships to support corporate integrity because corruption in business is at the core of many other social, developmental and environmental challenges.

* Corporate integrity is a multi-stakeholder effort that requires collective action across sectors, borders and institutional boundaries. All stakeholders have a role to play.

Since 2001, the Global Corruption Report (GCR) has offered an annual assessment of the state of corruption around the world, usually focusing on a specific sector.

The flagship yearly publication, which is produced by Transparency International (TI), brings together leading experts and practitioners to analyze current issues, identify new challenges, and explore solutions with a thematic focus related to corruption.

Ecobank staff bolts with GH¢74,000

After being granted police enquiry bail
Posted: The Chronicle | Wednesday, September 16, 2009


By Charles Takyi - Boadu


Even though officials of Ecobank, one of the leading banks in the country, are not forthcoming with information on the whereabouts of one of their staff, Rosemary Okai, who allegedly embezzled GH ¢114,000 of the bank, The Chronicle investigations have revealed that she has bolted away with the money.

Sources close to the family and head of the Public Relations Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Chief Inspector Joseph Benefo Darkwa, has confirmed to the The Chronicle that the 35-year old nursing mother has left the country for the United Kingdom (UK), somewhere last month, for fear of being arrested and prosecuted for her inability to refund the remaining GH¢74,000 out of the total of GH ¢114,000 that she allegedly stole from the bank.

However, Management of the bank remains tight lipped about the issue. Corporate Affairs Manager of the bank, Rami Baitie, declined to comment on the subject when this reporter contacted him for his comments. Though he confirmed the theft and the lady involved, he failed to comment on whether the bank was aware that she has absconded with the rest of the money.

According to him, it is the bank’s corporate policy not to discuss issues under investigations with the media. When she was first arrested and sent to the CID headquarters in Accra, Rosemary admitted having committed the crime within a period of three months, but Police investigations have revealed that she did so for close to one year.

Rosemary, who until the incident was a Teller at the Osu Oxford street branch of the bank, was granted bail by the Police because she was nursing a baby boy at the time of her arrest.

According to Chief Inspector Darkwa, when they first heard about the rumour, the suspect had already absconded. When the police contacted her husband, one Gabriel Johnson, he told them that his wife had traveled to Koforidua and he was given two weeks to produce her. But the Police said their investigations had proven that she had absconded to the UK, leaving behind her six-month old baby.

So far, her family has managed to pay GH ¢40,540.00 out of the total amount she stole. Her father and brother, who stood surety for her are currently being pursued by the Police to produce the suspect, since she has forfeited the terms of her bail bond. This reporter gathered that the two would be appearing in court on Friday September 25, 2009, to answer relevant questions about the whereabouts of the suspect. Preliminary investigations conducted by the Police indicate that she deposited only part of monies she received from customers into the bankís account, after crediting the accounts of the customers.

This was disclosed by the head of the Crime Unit at the police headquarters, Superintendent Maame Yaa Tiwaa Danso, when she spoke to The Ghanaian Times newspaper somewhere last month after the news broke.

Upon interrogation, Rosemary Okai was alleged to have admitted to the police that she sometimes took some money home, but did not admit embezzling GH¢114,000 - although she reportedly told the investigators that she was prepared to refund the amount.

Police said when they visited her home at Dansoman, they found that she owned two provision shops, but denied being part of a money stealing syndicate at the bank

She, however, paid GH¢20,000 to the police out of the total GH¢114,000 she stole from the bank on Tuesday August 4, 2009, and was subsequently granted police enquiry bail with two sureties.

The bail was also granted on the grounds that she was nursing a six-month old baby who was also not feeling well.

Eight months of Mills` administration

SO FAR, SO GOOD
… Says Okudzeto Ablakwa
Posted:The Chronicle | Friday, September 11, 2009


By Charles Takyi - Boadu

The Mills administration has assured Ghanaians that it is on course to fixing the broke economy left for them by the previous administration. A Deputy Minister of Information, Okudzeto Ablakwa told a news conference in Accra yesterday, that “the better Ghana we promised is on course to be delivered.”

Ablakwa, who was commenting on the achievements of the government, noted that they were proceeding slowly, but steadily. “We will fulfill our promises to the people of Ghana, despite the present economic difficulties,” he said.

The Deputy Minister indicated that the government had managed to engage a sizeable number of the country’s teeming youth in the Youth in Agriculture Programme (YAP) it promised in its manifesto.

According to him, over 300 of these organised youth, who are working on the Block Farm Concept (BFC) deployed at Damongo in the West Gonja District, have cultivated a total of 1,440 hectares of land.

1,200 hectares of the land is said to have been used to cultivate maize, whilst 200 hectares has been used to cultivate rice, with the remaining 40 hectares used for Soya bean cultivation.

In all this, he said, those involved did not have to put in a pesewa up till this stage, since the government provided them with tractors to plough the land, while seedlings, fertilisers and pesticides were also supplied.

In order to sustain the programme, he indicated that the various groups were required to pay the input costs after harvesting.

This, according to him, had created jobs for the inhabitants, including holiday jobs for school pupils who have been engaged to administer fertilisers, weed the farms, and provide other services.

Mr. Okudzato said a similar programme had also been rolled out in the Komenda, Potsin in Gomoa West, Gomoa East and Agona East areas of the Central Region, stressing that a total of 100 hectares had been ploughed in Komenda and ready for planting, 30 hectares in Gomoa West, 72 hectares in Gomoa East, and 40 hectares in Agona East.

When the programme becomes fully operational across the country, the Minister said a total of 14,000 hectares of land would have been cultivated, thereby creating more than 20,000 job opportunities periodically.

For this reason, the government is said to have made provision for an amount of GH¢10.7 million, looking forward to the programme offering tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs to not only the youth, but the general public.

The Northern, Upper East and West, Brong Ahafo, Ashanti, Central and Volta regions have been slated to benefit from the programme when it finally becomes fully operational. To enable the Mills administration realise its objective of food security and reducing poverty drastically, as promised on page 51 of the NDC’s ‘Better Ghana’ manifesto, Mr. Ablakwa said the government had taken the issue of irrigation development very serious, since agric contributes 35% of the country’s GDP, and employs some 60% the people.

The government thus intends to complete the required feasibility study and detailed designs for the first phase of 5,000 hectares under the Accra Plains Irrigation Project, by the end of this end of this year, to enable it to undertake the project.

Furthermore, the government is said to be rehabilitating 70 breached dams in the three regions of the north.

When completed, these dams are expected to put 360 hectares of land under irrigation. These areas can engage in dry season farming, with its attendant economic and social benefits to the people and the country as a whole.

Meanwhile, the government is currently sourcing for funds for the construction of two fishing harbours and 12 landing sites, at a total cost of $200 million.

In addition to these interventions, which are aimed at addressing the challenges of safety and post harvest losses, the government intends to build six cold stores in selected fishing communities, with a €7million loan facility from the Spanish government.

In order to effectively patrol and protect the country’s marine domain, two out some six patrol boats, which are being acquired for the Ghana Navy, are expected in December 2009, to augment their fleet.

The two boats, which have been paid for already, are expected to help the Ghana Navy enforce the country’s fisheries laws, and also protect its fishermen who have suffered from heavy lights thrown at sea by big trawlers, and the activities of pair trawlers.

The government has also offered farmers a 50% subsidy on fertilisers, as a result of which GH¢10 million has been released to support the subsidy payment, with the hope that this would contribute to the expected expansion in agricultural production.

The Deputy Minister cautioned those he described as ‘nation-wreckers,’ who had started making plans to smuggle the fertilisers bought at subsidized rates across the borders, that the security agencies are on high alert at all entry and exit posts, and ready to arrest and prosecute anyone caught in the act.

On the issue of narcotics drugs, Mr. Ablakwa said, “I am happy to report to the people of Ghana, that President John Atta Mills is on course to redeeming his campaign pledge that he will not allow this country to be turned into a haven for the narcotics trade.”

In furtherance of the NDC’s pledge, and the President’s personal commitment to the fight against drugs, he emphasised that the NDC government had initiated very effective and practical steps towards dealing with the drug menace.

According to him, the government was not only demonstrating the required political will, but also implementing very key strategies and measures aimed at combating the very disturbing drug problems it inherited as a government.

These measures, he said, include skills training, exposure to modern techniques in fighting narcotic drugs, and steps to transform the Narcotics Control Board into an autonomous commission, are yielding very positive results that Ghanaians are generally very proud of.