Avoid conflict of interest to fight corruption …staff of state institutions urged
Staff of state institutions have been urged to help in the fight against corruption by avoiding conflicts of interest in the discharge of their duties at their respective offices.
According to speakers at a workshop on conflict of interest for representatives of state institutions, issues of corruption often have elements of conflict of interest embedded in them.
The speakers indicated that by steering clear of conflicts of interest, public officials would contribute to the protection of public funds, shield themselves from potential sanctions associated with corruption, and uphold their integrity
The speakers were the Executive Director (ED) of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), Mrs Beauty Nartey; the ED of the Ghana Integrity Initiative, Mrs Mary Addah; and the Anti-Corruption Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Mr Stephen Azantilow.
The workshop, held in Accra on Friday, was organised by the GACC with the aim of educating public officials on conflict of interest as a key factor in the fight against corruption.
Funded by the Hewlett Foundation, it was part of the GACC’s “Building Evidence for Increased Accountability in Ghana through a Multi-Stakeholder Accountability Initiative” project.
It was attended by public officials from various public agencies including the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, District Court, Audit Service, and Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies.
Mrs Addah recommended that engaging a third party would help tackle the issue of corruption, explaining, “As humans, we all have interests, and these interests can culminate into conflicts because some are more paramount than others.
“However, one of the measures public officials can use to address conflicts of interest is to implement a third-party mechanism. By not bringing themselves into the equation and engaging a third party to work around it, they can better manage these issues.”
Mrs Addah also suggested that public officials could address conflicts of interest by disclosing their interests or avoiding them altogether.
According to her, there were three types of conflict of interest: actual, perceived, and potential, saying it was important for public officials to identify and contextualise these types to manage them effectively.
Mr Azantilow noted that provisions on conflict of interest, such as Article 284, were found in the 1992 Constitution.
Additionally, he said the Constitution mandates CHRAJ and the Chief Justice to take any form of action deemed fit against any public official found guilty of indulging in any form of conflict of interest.
However, Mr Azantilow stated that taking any form of action deemed fit against such individuals as provided by the Constitution “is in latitude” and therefore called for the passage of the Conduct of Public Officers Bill to address such bottlenecks.
For her part, Mrs Nartey urged public sector institutions to find ways of instituting measures to address conflicts of interest.
Failure to institute such measures, Mrs Nartey said, would allow staff of public institutions to take discretionary measures in addressing conflicts of interest.
She explained that the training was important because there were no legal framework established to guide public officials on their roles in relation to conflicts of interest.
Mrs Nartey added that it would help achieve the objective of the National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACAP), which is to mobilise efforts and resources of stakeholders in the prevention and fight against corruption.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY
