Website: http://gaccgh.org
What are your organisation’s main goals ?
- Educate the public on the forms of corruption and their impact on society.
- Campaign for the strengthening of anti- corruption laws, regulations policies, procedures and systems.
- Sustained advocacy for law enforcement – Investigation, prosecution, sanctions, and asset recovery.
How does your organisation operate ?
The organisation has a board, made up of the members of the Coalition. There are 13 members; made up of 5 public anti-corruption organizations, the private sector umbrella body in Ghana and 7 civil society organizations (CSOs).
The Board is the highest decision-making body, setting the agenda for the GACC. At the operational level, a national secretariat headed by an Executive Secretary, who also acts as secretary to the Executive Council, implements Board directives.
The GACC pursues its anti-corruption mandate through research, education, advocacy and capacity building.
What are the biggest successes your organisation has accomplished in the field of anti-corruption in the past years ?
The GACC has accomplished a number of anti-corruption legislation through advocacy. This includes the Whistleblower Act 2006 (Act 720), Office of the Special Prosecutor Act 2017 (Act 959), Witness Protection Act, 2018 (Act 975) and the Right to Information Act 2019 (Act 989).
The GACC has also achieved legitimacy and acceptance as the premier anti-corruption organization in Ghana and the convener for anti-corruption issues. The GACC leads and facilitates bi-annual meeting of CSOs with the President of Ghana. The Coalition also maintains a platform for anti-corruption CSOs to discuss common issues and undertake joint advocacy.
The GACC has also guided a number of groups and individuals who were victims of corruption to report the case and pursued it until it was resolved, and victims were compensated.
The GACC has achieved a lot in terms of audit report implementation in Ghana. The organisation has followed up on audit recommendations to government institutions and got them to fully implement these recommendations. Implementation means that embezzled and misappropriated money is returned to the state and the financial systems of public institutions are strengthened to prevent a recurrence of the financial infractions that led to audit citations.
GACC has facilitated the formation of Local Accountability Networks in sub-national entities. The Local Accountability Networks are made up of local CSOs that come together to advocate for anti-corruption measures in their communities. Their work has brought anti-corruption to the fore and has led to many remarkable achievements.
What are the key challenges specific to your local context that your organisation has been facing?
The organisation requires more capacity to take on anti-corruption issues in emerging areas.
Funding is a challenge for GACC. The organisation is reliant on donor funding. Donor funding in most cases also means a specific donor agenda that is not always consistent with GACC’s objectives.
A political commitment to anti-corruption has been missing in Ghana. Governments have been happy to pass laws but do not provide the resources to enforce those laws. This has made the fight against corruption very difficult.
What can other organisations learn from you?
GACC’s strength lies in its convening role. The Coalition has brought together actors from the public, private and civil society space to pursue anti-corruption together. The GACC has also learnt that leveraging the strength of its partners across different sectors has made it a more effective organisation.
To what extent has your organisation been involved in the UNCAC Review Mechanism?
The GACC has been extensively involved in UNCAC reviews as much as a non-state actor is allowed to. The state actors that are party to UNCAC reviews and have roles to play are members of GACC and therefore, the Coalition is quite abreast with the UNCAC Review for Ghana.
Why is it important for your organisation to be a member of the UNCAC Coalition?
The GACC will provide an assessment of UNCAC implementation in Ghana that is informed by the evidence of citizens and other non-state actors. These will be the stakeholders that are experiencing corruption and can provide evidence that speaks to the efficacy of measures rather than just the institution of measures.
Is there anything that you would like to share?
The GACC’s cross-sectoral approach makes it a legitimate organisation that is able to represent the views and assessments of the public sector, private sector and civil society space. The GACC will offer an assessment of the UNCAC that is reflective of a larger spectrum of stakeholders in Ghana.