21st August 2023 9:29:59 AM
2 mins readMichael Boadi, the fundraising manager at Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), the regional affiliate of Transparency International, has emphasised the importance of regulating political campaign financing in an effort to strengthen the fight against corruption.
0
"We cannot successfully combat corruption without controlling the financing of political parties. We must establish mechanisms to regulate political campaign finance," stated Boadi during a session at the Ghana News Agency's Boardroom Dialogue in the Tema Regional Office.
1
The conference's theme was "The Fourth Republic's War on Corruption: A Mirage or Reality? "
2
Boadi noted that the funding of political campaigns had grown to be a significant driver of corruption and, if unchecked, frequently results in the misappropriation of the country's abundant resources.
3
"The situation is becoming increasingly perilous. According to research by the Centre for Democratic Development-Ghana, winning a parliamentary seat costs approximately US$300,000.00, a figure that continues to rise," he noted.
4
Mr. Boadi expressed doubts about transparency and accountability while questioning the source of the sizeable sums needed for political campaigns.
5
"If a parliamentary seat in a smaller constituency demands $300,000.00, one must ponder the source of even larger sums spent by presidential candidates," he commented.
6
Boadi emphasised the need for political parties and their candidates to disclose where their funding comes from, both at the presidential and parliamentary levels.
7
He warned that the failure to scrutinize funding sources could potentially lead to criminal entities such as money launderers, drug traffickers, and terrorists wielding influence over the country's political landscape.
8
Michael Boadi argued that the efficacy of anti-corruption efforts hinges on addressing these challenges and ensuring greater transparency.
9
According to him, politicizing corruption investigations has impeded some institutions' functionality and drained public interest in their proceedings.
10
To remedy this, Boadi suggested that corruption investigations be conducted transparently and without external interference. Such an approach, he believed, would encourage citizens to actively participate in the fight against corruption in Ghana.
11
12
1 min read
3 mins read
2 mins read
2 mins read
1 min read
2 mins read
2 mins read
2 mins read
2 mins read