The Economics and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has renewed its pledge to support anti-graft body, Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), in the fight against corruption.

Speaking at the launch of the Ghana Integrity Awards in Accra on Wednesday, 14 August 2019, the Deputy Director of EOCO, Mr Walter Amewu said: “We hereby renew our pledge to closely collaborate with the GII and other agencies engaged in anti-corruption to fight this canker and also to recover the proceeds of crime for national development which is becoming the driving force of EOCO’s operations.”

For her part, the Executive Director of GII, Linda Ofori-Kwarfo bemoaned the consequences of corruption noting that Ghana loses close to US$3 billion (GHS13.5 billion) to corruption annually.

Explaining the uphill task of fighting corruption in the country, Ofori-Kwafo said: “The effect of corruption on Ghana’s development cannot be overemphasised and I’m sure by now it is common knowledge that the country is losing so much; about US$3 billion, the equivalent of GHS13.5 billion every year through corruption”.

She highlighted that successive governments have attempted to minimise corruption through moral crusades to uphold high ethics, the confiscation of properties found to have been acquired through corruption by public officials, public sector reforms; and strengthening anti-corruption organisations and anti-corruption laws.

However, she said there was the need to complement such efforts with other interventions such as the awards scheme.

She said strategies “such as the integrity awards scheme, just to mention a few, that seek to honour public officials who have demonstrated integrity in their work and in the society” will go a long way to help tackle the canker.

Source: Ghana/ClassFMonline.com/91.3FM