Emeritus lecturer of Political Science at the University of Ghana, Legon, Professor Kwame Akon Ninsin has launched his new book titled ‘The Corrupt Elites; The anatomy of power and wealth in Ghana’.
The 191-page book which centres on the rise of corruption within successive historical conjunctures also questions and answers how the Ghanaian precolonial, colonial and post-colonial states and their mutually interrelated political processes affected the production and distribution of wealth.
Speaking at the launch of the book in Accra, Professor Kame Akon Ninsin said the process of building an inclusive institution with the introduction of independence led to the scramble for private wealth by the elite or educated in society and in the process increased corruption.
According to him, Ghana will continue to lose the fight against the canker if the symptoms are addressed instead of the root cause.
“I wrote the book because corruption was not dying out. So I thought through the problem and identified the root cause and thought to bring it to the attention of the Ghanaian public. So together we will unify against the correct cause of corruption and address it.”
“Corruption has become a big problem in this country. If you go through the colonial records there are times when the colonial government was compelled to set up a commission of enquiry to investigate traditional councils found to have mismanaged public funds and that practice has continued till date. So until we are able to overcome this menace we will just keep fighting and going round in circles,” he added.
He further urged Ghanaians to take an interest in national issues which tends to affect all and sundry.
“This issue of corruption is not a joke. It is growing and now spreading from the top of government down to the district level. So we are actually losing the battle against corruption. In fact, now, it seems we are addressing the wrong target. The corrupt people are there but the concentration is elsewhere. Unless we identify the correct bases we will continue to engage in a futile exercise.”
The book launch was graced by the Commissioner for the Commission on Human Right and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Dr. Joseph Whittal, Executive Director for Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey, Head of Political Science Department at Legon, Dr. Maame A. Gyekye-Jandoh, Senior Research Fellow at IDEG, Professor Atsu Ayee, Professor S. N. Woode and other dignitaries.
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By: Felicia Osei | citinewsroom.com | Ghana
