Culturally Bred Corruption: The silence of the Ghanaian Youth

The importance and the eminence of Ghanaian and African culture in the day to day life of the average Ghanaian cannot be overstated. The societal and personal values espoused by the indigenous cultures go a long way to create stability and a sense of self within the Ghanaian. These values include those that establish and maintain the extended family system, the institution of marriage as we know it as well as the roles of various persons within society. Ghana went from a colonial territory, the country tried to create a hybrid of traditional cultural and European institutions to govern the country and regulate society. These hybrids have worked to varying degrees of success and failures. Most of these failures has been (and correctly too) attributed to corruption and a lack of transparency. This systemic and cancerous of corruption has various causes including lack of proper systems to demand accountability and in some cases failures of existing structures.

One major cause of the corruption crisis is a lack of a "questioning attitude" by Ghanaian youth. In most (if not all) Ghanaian cultures age is a huge determinant in having your voice heard in society or even questioning decisions taken.

This cultural value translates into the country's governance and public administration system. Many effective and positive revolutionary changes the world over have been led by the youth. Youth who question and demand to know and hold leaders accountable.

In Africa, with its current huge youthful populations needs to harness their voices has as an effective national watch dog.

The Youth of the tertiary institutions have an even more critical responsibility.

Majority of tertiary students in Ghana receive one form of governmental aid and or subsidy. These students are (being) endowed with the necessary critical reasoning and analytic skills too effectively and constructively critic policy when necessary.

They have a duty and a privilege to serve as the vanguard of national accountability queries. They must deploy this skills and knowledge not in advancing a particular political position but in promoting national development.

The development of these questioning skills and culture of accountability is vital at this stage as it is this same youth who will become national leaders. They will come to occupy positions where this acquired values will enhance national development.

A constructive student critic of economic policy today will morph into a very technical and astute query of national policy in the House of Parliament tomorrow.

Questioning however should not be mistaken for unruly and destructive and unchecked and biased outbursts. These do not only go against our culture but are also destructive and at their very root anti-democratic.

Many effort are being taken to promote a national culture of transparency and positive questioning, all with good intentions.However any actions that ignore the youth is myopic as the next generation of leaders are left out. With the advent of Petroleum income and the creation of the Heritage fund by an act of parliament, the vigilance of the Ghanaian youth is ever more relevant. Arise Ghana youth for your country, the nation demands your vigilance.