Executive Secretary of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), Linda Ofori-Kwafo, says although public knowledge and discussion about corruption have increased, it is not being followed through with report to authorities.

According to Mrs Ofori-Kwafo, lack of knowledge about the laws that protect citizens who report corruption to cases to authorities is the cause of a low formal complaints to institutions such as CHRAJ.

She revealed that since the Whistle Blower Act was passed in 2006, only 10 people have tested it.

"People are now talking about corruption, but when it comes to being able to back the talking with evidence and be able to go to the appropriate institutions, they are still not doing it" said Mrs Ofori-Kwafo.

Her comments are part of findings of a 14-month anti-corruption campaign aimed at educating the public on anti-corruption laws in the country, particularly the Whistle Blower Act 2006 (Act 720).

The campaign, "Speak Up: An Accountability Media Watch" covered Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Western regions through live radio and television discussions on corruption.

The project was managed by GACC in collaboration with the Global Media Alliance (GMA) with funding support from STAR-Ghana, DANIDA, DFID and USAID.

Mrs Ofori-Kwafo said it was important to sustain public education about legislations such as the Whistle Blower Act, even though the project has drawn to a close.

The purpose of the Whistle Blower Act is to improve the nation’s ability to fight corruption and other forms of unlawful conduct that negatively affect Ghana's development efforts.

The law is based on the idea that if ordinary citizens are empowered to disclose, without fear of victimisation, the corrupt and other unlawful acts of other persons, millions of cedis will be saved every year, respect for decent behaviour and integrity will increase, the quality of public service will improve, and Ghana will see speedy development.

The law encourages and supports individuals to “blow the whistle” on unlawful or other illegal conduct or corrupt practices of other persons. It also protects any person who “blows the whistle” or exposes the corrupt or other unlawful conduct of other persons.

Click here to read more about the Act

Global Media Alliance promised to sustain public education about the Act and such similar anti-corruption legislation to encourage more people to report corruption cases.

The results of a recent Afrobarometer survey by governance think tank CDD-Ghana which focused on trust and perceived corruption in Ghana’s public institutions said most public sector institutions are seen as corruption, except the military.

The survey was conducted between May and June 2014 and about 2400 respondents were asked to rate public institutions including the Ghana Revenue Authority, as well as government officials and Members of Parliament.

The institutions identified as having little trust from the populace included the tax department, local government, police, parliament, ruling party, the electoral commission, president, courts of law, and the opposition.

 GACC is a cross-sectorial, multi-stakeholder coalition of private, public, civil society, media and religious bodies with a vision to create a society in which transparency, accountability and integrity are upheld. The Coalition mainly focuses on research and monitoring of anti-corruption legal environment as well as providing annual anti-corruption assessment to feed into policy documents.

GACC also acts as a channel to the larger Civil Society in Ghana in disseminating global issues such as the Aid Effectiveness Agenda, Global Principles of CSO Development Effectiveness and other policies on anti-corruption including the UNCAC review process.

GACC has carried out various activities including development of corruption monitoring indicators, CSO capacity assessments and has also conducted a baseline survey to assess best practices in promoting business integrity in Ghana.