Following the implementation of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023) any new Higher Education institution in Ghana that advertises or runs a programme for which it has no accreditation, penalties will include paying a fine of GHS240,000 (US$41,400). Alternatively, the vice-chancellor or rector of the institution concerned will be imprisoned for up to 20 years, but both penalties can be applied.

In Ghana, it is common to find journalists, university teachers, and government officials plagiarizing other people’s works. Recently, a senior lecturer at the University of Professional Studies, who is also the Head of the Banking and Finance Department, plagiarized a Facebook post and sent it to the Daily Graphic, which published it, both online and in print. When the lecturer was caught, he denied the offense, until the author of the content found sufficient evidence against him. University authorities have never investigated the case.

According to the Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the role of higher education students in the effective implementation of anti-corruption laws is crucial. During a symposium organized by the National Commission for Civic Education, he has called students to get involved in the fight against corruption and to promote good governance, rule of law, accountability and transparency in the country.

The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) on Wednesday called for major transformation towards the fight against corruption, saying the noose around corruption must be tightened through pragmatic actions. “The NCCE is therefore raising up the fight against corruption through relentless intensive public and civic education towards changing our attitude, inject public accountability and personal responsibility across the country to help promote good governance”.

Stakeholders in Ghana’s education sector have stressed the need for a collective effort to find immediate solutions to risks in the sector that may engender corruption. While the risks are well known and have been documented, it is important to address the root causes so as to curb them from escalating into cases of corruption in the sector. The Transparency International Regional Coordinator for West Africa said there could be no talk of sustainable development of any country without a good educational system, thus the need to address corruption and risks of corruption in the sector.