The Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), in partnership with the Save Our Environment Foundation, has conducted specialised training on the rule of law and accountability for residents in the Tano South Municipality of the Ahafo Region on Tuesday.

The initiative aimed to equip community members with the tools needed to identify, report, and actively resist corrupt practices within their local communities.

Participants engaged in interactive modules covering the definition and various forms of corruption, its negative impact on national development, reporting channels for corruption-related cases, and practical methods for demanding public accountability.

During the sessions, community member Elia Opoku Afriyie shared that residents previously viewed several corrupt acts as normal and legitimate, but the training exposed their true nature and inspired a commitment to stop them.

Another beneficiary, Jonathan Adu Gyamfi, highlighted the road sector, noting that motorists who fail to secure proper licenses and roadworthy documentation leave themselves vulnerable to law enforcement officers who capitalise on these lapses to demand bribes.

Collins Osei, Executive Director of the Save Our Environment Foundation, stressed that despite widespread public education through radio stations and community information centers, corruption remains deeply entrenched.

He emphasised the need to revamp anti-corruption strategy by moving beyond broadcast media to small-group community dialogues and direct educational outreach in basic and senior high schools to cultivate integrity among young students.

This grassroots initiative directly advances the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 for Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions; SDG 4 for Quality Education through school outreach; and SDG 10 for Reduced Inequalities by addressing informal bribery that disproportionately exploits lower-income citizens.

The training addresses a problem with huge economic consequences at every level of society. Globally, corruption siphons off roughly 2.6 trillion US dollars annually, representing about five percent of world GDP, with over one trillion dollars paid in bribes alone.

Across the African continent, African Union estimates indicate that corruption costs over 148 billion US dollars each year, stripping away roughly twenty-five percent of Africa's total GDP.

In Ghana, systemic corruption drains approximately three billion US dollars from the national economy every year, an amount that almost doubles the country's annual foreign direct investment inflows and deprives critical infrastructure of public funds.

Organisers affirmed that they will continue engaging grassroots communities and schools across the Ahafo region, especially Tano South Municipality, to foster a long-term culture of civic responsibility, integrity, and social accountability.