Captain Prince Kofi Amoabeng (Rtd) a Ghanaian businessman, has advised political leaders not to interfere with systems put in place to check corruption.
He asked them to rather empower those who managed the systems and hold them accountable where necessary.
“We can only address corruption when we put systems in place and make sure these systems work to a fault. Political leadership must set the example and sanction anybody who goes foul to them whether it’s their relative or party mate but unfortunately, no leader in politics has the guts to do it,” he noted.
Captain Amoabeng (Rtd) said this at the 6th Edition of the “Timekeeping Dialogue Series”, in Accra.
The event created the platform for discussions around businesses, Government officials, and how individuals can become better at utilising time.
He said the African had the potential to do the right thing and even better than the Western world, however, the huge drop in respect and appreciation for core African values had caused retarded growth of African nations.
“The African has got the potential to do what is right and even do it better than the Western world but in our own setting, you won’t get that chance. And the fear for me is that the trend doesn’t look good at all.
“We are losing our values by the day; there is no respect in our homes, and likewise in the schools, you have people buying questions and people are becoming more corrupt in every aspect. So, we are getting worse and not even trying to get better.
“It has gotten so bad that all institutions have become politicised. When I was in the Army, you could not discuss politics or religion but now one’s promotion is based on his or her political affiliation. Policemen are paying to enter the Police Service, among other corrupt acts.”
Captain Amoabeng (Rtd) also the Co-Founder of UT Bank, said political leaders knew the ways to curb corruption, yet “no democratically elected leader would go for it”.
He, however, discarded the option of a coup d’état because they had also failed to provide viable solutions over the years.
He advised businesses to love their clients, serve them to the best of their abilities and not exploit them.
They should also love and respect every member of their staff without discrimination to ensure the success of their businesses.
Captain Amoabeng (Rtd) said just like political leaders, business owners must put systems in place to check their staff and be the first to abide by the rules.
