The Paramount Chief of the Assin Kushea Traditional Area, Ehunabobrim Prah Agyensaim VI, has urged management administrators to uphold high ethical standards to curb corruption, strengthen public institutions and promote national development.
He said institutions could only thrive when they were guided by integrity, accountability and professionalism, stressing that the absence of strong ethical values created fertile grounds for corruption and weakened governance systems.
Ehunabobrim Prah Agyensaim VI made the call in Accra yesterday at the 8th Annual Administrators Conference of the Chartered Institute of Administrators and Management Consultants-Ghana (CIAMC), held at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana.
The conference, on the theme: “Mindset Transformation: Values, Systems and the Law,” brought together management administrators from the public and private sectors to deliberate on ethical leadership, institutional reforms and good governance.
According to Ehunabobrim Prah Agyensaim VI, who is also Chairman of the Governing Council of CIAMC, administration was more than managing offices and procedures, describing administrators as custodians of institutional integrity.
He stressed that values, ethics, effective systems and the rule of law formed the four pillars upon which successful institutions were built.
“Without values, systems become vulnerable to corruption. Without ethics, professionalism deteriorates into mere compliance. Without systems, even the best intentions produce inconsistency and inefficiency,” he said.
He urged members of the institute to distinguish themselves through exemplary conduct, adding that integrity should be demonstrated even when no one was watching.
The chairman of the programme and Head of the Local Government Service, Professor Lord Mensah, said sustainable national transformation could not be achieved through policy reforms or legislation alone but required a fundamental change in mindset.
Prof. Mensah noted that administrators occupied strategic positions within organisations as custodians of governance, institutional integrity and public confidence.
He said every policy implemented, process coordinated and record maintained contributed to citizens’ trust in public institutions.
According to him, strong institutions were built not only on efficient systems but also on integrity, accountability and professionalism.
“Where values are strong, systems become efficient. Where systems are efficient, the rule of law is respected. And where the three work together, public confidence flourishes and development accelerates,” he stated.
Prof. Mensah urged administrators to become transformational leaders by embracing innovation, ethical conduct and accountability instead of merely implementing policies.
He further challenged professional bodies to enforce discipline among their members to safeguard public trust.
He suggested sanctions, including temporary suspension, revocation of practising licences, and removal from professional registers, public reprimand and mandatory retraining for members who breached professional ethics or codes of conduct.
Delivering a presentation on systems, the Chief Executive Officer of the John Agyekum Kufuor Foundation, Professor Baffour Agyeman-Duah, underscored the importance of efficient systems in promoting accountability and improving organisational performance.
He said institutions that valued excellence must deliberately establish transparent procedures, strengthen data management systems, simplify processes and reward ethical behaviour.
The Chief Executive Officer of CIAMC, Dr Samuel M. Asafo, in his welcome address, called for stronger organisational systems anchored on ethical leadership to improve institutional performance and service delivery.
He urged management administrators to imbibe ethical values and professionalism in building resilient institutions capable of driving Ghana’s socio-economic development.
BY KINGSLEY ASARE
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