The Upper East Regional Focal Person for the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, Emmanuel Anafo, has underscored the urgent need to involve young people in the national fight against corruption.
Speaking during this year’s commemoration of African Union Anti-Corruption Day, which falls on July 11 each year, Mr. Anafo highlighted a shift in the Coalition’s strategy toward targeting the youth, especially in educational institutions.
He revealed that since 2018, the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition has been marking the day with activities across second cycle institutions nationwide. This year, however, the initiative has expanded to include basic schools, aiming to foster early awareness among young learners about the negative impact of corruption on the country’s development.
“Since 2018, we’ve always done this commemoration in second cycle institutions around the country and this year, we’re even committing the fight to the basic schools.”
Mr. Anafo emphasized that educating the younger generation about the dangers of corruption is a crucial step in changing attitudes and securing a more transparent future. The Coalition believes that instilling anti-corruption values at an early age will contribute significantly to shaping a more responsible and ethically grounded citizenry.
He identified education and employment as two critical sectors severely affected by corruption. Despite Ghana not being a poor country in terms of resources, he noted that the mismanagement and misuse of funds have led to serious challenges in underserved communities.
In the area of employment, he touched on many qualified young Ghanaians struggling to access job opportunities, with some even falling victim to scams by individuals posing as recruitment agents, taking advantage of the high demand for jobs.
“I’ll talk about opportunities to access jobs. Today, a lot of the young women and men out there hold various qualifications yet they are not able to render their services to the country by way of job opportunities. Some of them, in a very sad turn of events, have been scammed just because they want to serve the country,” he lamented.
These incidents, he noted, highlight the pressing need to empower young people to be more aware, active, and involved in the fight against corruption rather than remaining passive observers.
“These are issues that affect young people in the country that we think that we need to get the young men and you women aware of, and we have to let them be more active either than being passive in the fight against corruption.”
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Gifty Eyram Kudiabor|Bolgatanga
