By Peter Akwetey, GNA
Tema, Oct. 15, GNA – The Tema West Municipal office of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has engaged members of the Power House Evangelistic Ministry, Tema Community Two, on its Accountability, Rule of Law, Anti-corruption Action Plan (ARAP) programme.
The ARAP programme is an initiative from the NCCE with the aim of promoting good governance in Ghana by reducing corruption and improving accountability and compliance with the rule of law through the sensitization of the citizenry on legal regimes related to public accountability especially on the whistle-blowing act.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Reverend John Agbemabiese, Tema Community Two District Crime Officer, speaking as a guest speaker, reminded the congregants that corruption was a two way affair which involved a giver and a receiver adding that both were liable to an offence.
DSP/Rev Agbemabiase described corruption as an evil act that cut across every facet of society indicating that it must be uprooted before it totally destroyed the natiion.
In his presentation, he mentioned some the legal instruments and institutions for fighting corruption.
“Some of these are Public Office Holders (Declaration of Assets and Disqualification Act, 1998 (Act 550); The Audit Service Act, 2000 (Act 584); The Financial Administration Act, 2003 (Act 564) The Internal Audit Agency Act 2003 (Act 658) and the Whistleblowers Act 2006, (Act 720). Some Anti-Corruption
Institutions such as Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ); EOCO; Public Accounts Committee, Media and Civil Society.are all vanguards in the fight against corruption,” he said.
Audience asked various questions which were answered with relevant sections of the Acts of Parliament mentioned above.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr. Bismark Mensah, a member of the church said the programme had really educated him, at least “if he find himself in this kind of situation, with the knowledge I have received now, I can take the right steps”.
Mr. Kwabena Bretuo, who represented the Accra East Regional Director of the EPA, said unplanned settlements, indiscipline, negative attitude towards the environment, non-compliance with environmental regulations and inadequate collaboration between traditional authorities and Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assembly (MMDAs) in the allocation of land, were concerns mostly expressed in the Metropolis.
He said to ensure quality environmental governance, the EPA was implementing the ‘Environmental Impact Assess Regulation’ LI 1652, as an effective tool to prevent hazardous developments in communities.
According to him, EPA in collaboration with other organizations had developed standards that must be strictly adhered to for effluent discharges, ambient air quality and point source emissions, noise control, weighted sound levels, and motor vehicle emissions adding that anyone caught contraveneing these standards would be prosecuted.
He stated that solid waste was one of the critical challenges facing the country especially for the MMDAs as urbanization and industrialization had turned the waste situation into an albatross.
According to him, proper solid waste management was the central pillar in creating sustainable development.
GNA
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