The Upper West Regional Office of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) convened a one-day symposium on rule of law, corruption, and public accountability for students of the University for Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS) in Wa on April 25, 2026, bringing together 67 students from all eight faculties to deepen civic knowledge and build a generation of accountability-conscious graduates.
The event, held at Lecture Hall 2A of the university, was designed to equip young people with practical tools for engaging governance processes, with facilitators arguing that institutional accountability mechanisms alone have proven insufficient and that citizen participation must fill the gap.
Deputy Regional Director of the NCCE, Mr. Yibile John, opened the programme by stating that a top-down approach to accountability, where only formal institutions render account, has repeatedly failed because it alienates citizens and creates conditions where corruption, influence peddling, and weak ethical leadership can take root. He called on students to see themselves as active participants in governance rather than passive observers.
Wa Municipal Programs Officer Mr. Frederick Bondong led participants through core concepts including social auditing, which he described as a process where community members, civil society organisations, and state institutions collectively verify whether public projects are actually delivered as promised. He linked social auditing directly to corruption prevention, describing it as one of the most practical tools available to citizens in a context where corruption often thrives in secrecy and weak oversight systems.
On the rule of law, Mr. Bondong stressed that the principle applies to everyone including leaders, and that no one stands above it. He identified bribery, embezzlement, and favouritism in contract and job awards as common expressions of corruption, and outlined measures to address them including stronger institutions, improved public education, greater transparency, and expanded access to information. He also flagged Ghana-specific challenges including low public awareness, fear of victimisation by those who speak out, and weak law enforcement.
Mr. Sabastine Ziem, Deputy Regional Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), addressed conflict of interest and ethical leadership, explaining how private interests can distort public duties and identifying nepotism, financial interests, and outside employment as key triggers. He took participants through relevant legal frameworks including the 1992 Constitution, the Criminal Offences Act, and the Public Procurement Act.
Students who attended said the programme had strengthened their understanding of accountability and that they intended to apply the knowledge in their communities.
The symposium was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, co-financed by the European Union and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in collaboration with Ghana’s Ministry of Finance, with the NCCE serving as implementing partner.
