NewzFormer United Nations Senior Governance Adviser Prof. Baffour Agyemang-Duah has attributed many of Ghana’s governance challenges to a lack of character-driven leadership, arguing that education without strong moral values has contributed to corruption and poor public administration.Speaking on Joy FM’s Midday News during a discussion on the ongoing constitutional review process, Prof. Agyemang-Duah said legal reforms alone would not transform the country unless they are accompanied by efforts to cultivate integrity, accountability and civic responsibility.According to him, Ghana’s governance problems stem not only from institutional weaknesses but also from a crisis of values.“If a nation does not have core values that it cherishes, no matter what laws you pass, or consitutiomnal reviews you undergo, we are not going to change anything.
The character of the people is a problem and I think I can say that education without character is worse than getting no education at all because we are going to use that education, as we have it now, to create problems for the country,” he said.He argued that despite the country’s investment in education, many of those entrusted with public office continue to engage in corruption and other unethical practices.“I mean, all the people who are making laws for us and regulations are highly educated, and yet we have problems of corruption and stealing. I can go on and on,” he stated.He therefore called for a fundamental overhaul of Ghana’s educational system to place greater emphasis on character formation alongside academic achievement.According to him, schools should deliberately instil values such as honesty, patriotism, discipline and public service to prepare young people for responsible leadership.“We have to find an educational system that inculcates certain fundamental values in our children so that when they grow up to become leaders, they can be different from us,” he said.Prof. Agyemang-Duah also expressed concern that the current generation of leaders risks passing on poor governance practices to future generations if deliberate efforts are not made to change the country’s value system.“This generation may be failing the younger generation, and if they fail us, it is because they will be reflecting our failures, not their own failures,” he said.He noted that Ghana’s democratic and governance aspirations would remain …
Baffour Agyemang-Duah has argued that constitutional reforms alone will not address Ghana’s governance challenges. According to him, this will only be achieved if accompanied by a deliberate effort to instil strong national values and ethical leadership.Speaking on Joy FM’s Midday News, he said while constitutional reforms are important, they would have little impact if the country’s leadership and citizens continue to lack the values needed to uphold good governance.“Reviewing the Constitution alone is not going to make a difference in the lives of Ghanaians,” he said on Tuesday, August 4.According to him, Ghana’s recurring problems of corruption, abuse of public office and weak governance are rooted less in the country’s legal framework than in the erosion of character and civic responsibility.“If a nation doesn’t have core values that it cherishes, no matter what laws you pass, no matter how many constitutional reviews you undergo, we’re not going to change anything,” he stated.“The character of the people is a problem. Education without character is worse than getting no education at all because we are going to use that education to create problems for the country,” he added.He noted that many of those responsible for making laws and managing public institutions are highly educated, yet corruption and other forms of misconduct continue to undermine national development.“I mean, all the people who are making laws for us and regulations are highly educated, and yet we have problems of corruption and stealing.
I can go on and on,” he added.The governance expert therefore called for a fundamental rethink of Ghana’s education system, urging policymakers to place greater emphasis on character formation alongside academic excellence.He said schools should deliberately cultivate values such as honesty, accountability, patriotism and respect for democratic principles to prepare future generations for responsible leadership.“We have to find an educational system that inculcates certain fundamental values in our children so that when they grow up to become leaders, they can be different from us,” he said.Prof. Agyemang-Duah warned that unless Ghana addresses what he described as a crisis of values, successive constitutional reviews and legal reforms are unlikely to produce the transformation many citizens expec…
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