Parliament has launched the National Integrity Awards Scheme (NIAS) to recognise and reward individuals and institutions that uphold ethical conduct, transparency, accountability and integrity in public life.
The initiative, established last year under the leadership of the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, is intended to foster a national culture where integrity is valued and celebrated while strengthening the fight against corruption.
Launched in Parliament yesterday on the theme, “Promoting integrity, celebrating ethical leadership and inspiring national development,” the scheme will confer awards in nine categories covering the Executive, Parliament, the Judiciary, anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies, security services, public service institutions, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), the private sector, civil society and whistle-blowers.
A special Vulture Award will also be introduced to draw attention to conduct that undermines national integrity and encourage public accountability.
Launching the scheme, Mr Bagbin said Parliament remained committed to promoting integrity through its oversight role, investigations into corruption-related matters and regular ethics training for Members of Parliament and Parliamentary Service staff.
He stressed the need to inculcate the values of integrity and accountability from the basic school level and urged parents to reconsider raising their children abroad, arguing that doing so could affect their appreciation of those values.
Mr Bagbin said Parliament would be the first institution to implement the scheme, including the Vulture Award, and urged MPs to lead by example by upholding the highest ethical standards.
Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie described integrity as indispensable to national development despite the personal sacrifices it often demands.
“Integrity will demand a personal sacrifice, but corruption demands a national sacrifice. The cost of integrity is paid by the individual, but the cost of corruption is paid by all of us. That is why integrity matters,” he said.
He said no nation could prosper by rewarding dishonesty indefinitely, stressing that trust remained the bedrock of strong institutions.
The Chief Justice commended Mr Bagbin for the initiative and pledged the Judiciary’s support to advance integrity and accountability across the country.
The Chairman of the Awards Committee, retired Justice William A. Atuguba, assured the public that the committee would discharge its mandate with independence, fairness, diligence and confidentiality to safeguard the credibility of the awards.
He urged Ghanaians to nominate individuals and institutions whose conduct exemplified the highest standards of integrity.
President John Dramani Mahama, represented by his Senior Legal Advisor, Mrs Marietta Agyeiwaa Brew, said the awards complemented the National Ethics and Anti-Corruption Action Plan and the proposed Code of Conduct for Public Officers Bill in promoting integrity and combating corruption.
The launch was attended by the Clerk to Parliament, Rev. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, Members of Parliament, Parliamentary Service staff, traditional leaders and members of the diplomatic corps.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY
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