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Professor Stephen Adei, a former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), has called for urgent review of the country’s criminal laws to make it easy to deal with the rising spate of corruption.

There was also an urgent need to restructure anti-corruption institutions to make them potent to deal effectively with matters of corruption appropriately.

Speaking at a public lecture organized by the Scripture Union (SU) in Kumasi, Professor Adei, pointed out that strict enforcement of laws and transparency in the prosecution process with appropriate punishment, would help deter people from engaging in corrupt practices.

The lecture which formed part of the 151st anniversary celebration of the SU was under the theme, ‘Effects of corruption on Ghana and required responses’.

Professor Adei said corruption which was systemic and somehow regularized, had been one of the major causes of poverty in many African countries including Ghana.

“However, laws and institutions set up to fight the menace has not been active enough to deal with the situation”.

Professor Adei attributed this to lack of financial support to these institutions and the mode of appointment of their leaders.

He however, said this should not be an excuse for the institutions to discharge their mandate to protect the country’s purse.

“Anti-corruption institutions should not give excuses and use them as a defence in solving this deadly canker that has taken a toll on the economy,” he stated.

Professor Adei said reports that Ghana loses over three billion dollars of taxpayers’ money every year, was a proof of Ghana’s economic instability, adding that, this could be averted if a radical approach was taken to fight the menace.

He stressed the need to deal with the cultural acceptance of corruption at the grassroots through extensive public education and training, while working to amend the existing laws to make corruption a very high risk venture.

Mr Rockson Antwi, Ashanti Regional Manager SU, said education should be made a priority in the fight against corruption.

He said people could effect changes if they stood and set good examples for others to follow, pointing out that, the fight against corruption required true and committed people with unquenchable faith in God.