As part of the 2025 International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD), Citizens Watch Ghana in partnership with Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition with support from German Corporation GIZ, European Union, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has embarked on an anti-corruption campaign to sensitize students against corruption.
The program which was held in two different basic schools in both Berekum East Municipal and Berekum West District of the Bono Region on Monday and Tuesday 8th and 9th, December, 2025 included the Presby (A) JHS, Mpatasie M/A JHS, Jinijini Presby JHS and Jinijini Methodist JHS respectively representing over 500 students took part of the campaign.
The Executive Director for Citizens Watch Ghana and Focal Person for the LANet, Mr. Simon Asore in his welcome address urged the students to resist, reject and report all corrupt practices because it denies citizens of their needed development, making some people richer in society winding the poverty gap and denying the right people employment.
The campaign’s main focus was to stress the message of Resist, Reject and to Report Corruption which erode the progress and development of the people.
The Berekum East Municipal Director of NCCE as well as the Berekum West NCCE Director, Mr George Yanunko and Adiza Adiza Gyengyena elaborated about the theme for this year’s anti-corruption campaign: “Uniting With Youth Against Corruption: Shaping Tomorrow’s Integrity”, emphasising that it has been a global call to promote transparency, accountability and integrity in the fight against corruption under the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).
He stressed that, as children they are being empowered to become the key drivers of change in anti-corruption campaigns since it’s a crime to engage in bribery and corruption which the laws of the country forbid such actions, hence the children should do everything they can to avoid corruption.
He continued that, the children should help support the fight against corruption by becoming whistleblowers to protect the nation against corruption.
He said that, there is the need for the children to understand anti-corruption and the effects it brings to our livelihood as a country.
On her part the Madam Adiza Naa Gyengyena added that corruption manifestations have so many forms such as bribery, extortion, fraud, nepotism, embellishment, conflict of interest and favoritism.
She underscored the need for the children to do as much as they can to resist, reject and report all corruption practices that they may encounter especially to the police, headmaster, teacher, District Assembly, CHRAJ district office, OSP, EOCO office, the MP or the traditional authorities to help build a better and fair country.
She explained that, the children are being empowered to understand their role as responsible citizens to be aware of the common canker that is affecting the growth of the country when people indulge in corruption.
Madam Adiza encouraged the school children to know that there is a law that protects every citizen who stands up to resist, reject and report corruption and that is the Whistleblowers Act 2006 (Act 720).
Saying the Act permits everyone to blow the whistle against corruption on the public resources to help building a better and a fair country while the offenders are being punished.
The excitement of the students was whipped up as they were eager to learn more about anti-corruption to broaden their knowledge on such matters.
