Ghana's development is first a moral project, not an economic one — Chief Justice

Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie has called for a renewed focus on moral values as the foundation of Ghana's development.

He asserted that the country's progress cannot be achieved through economic policies and legal reforms alone.

Speaking at the Church of Pentecost's National Development Conference on Thursday, July 9, the Chief Justice noted that many of the challenges confronting the nation stem from a decline in ethical values rather than the absence of laws or development strategies.

"Development is never wholly an economic project; it is first a moral project. Recent events remind us of this truth... when public trust is traded for private gain, the problem before us is not merely legal or technical; it is moral," said the Chief Justice.

He cited issues such as indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains, pollution of rivers through illegal mining and corruption as examples of challenges that require moral transformation in addition to legal enforcement.

The Chief Justice noted that even though the judiciary plays a critical role in upholding the Constitution and punishing wrongdoing, the courts alone cannot instil the values needed to build a just and prosperous society.

"No court can compel honesty. No judgment can create integrity, and no sentence can manufacture compassion. That work belongs to families, schools, traditional authorities, and indeed to churches such as yours," he said.

He urged families, educational institutions, traditional leaders and religious bodies to take a leading role in nurturing responsible citizens, stressing that lasting national development depends on the character of the people as much as the strength of the country's institutions.