Zero Tolerance: Public Sector Corruption in Ghana (review)

In a book to be lauded for its bravery and outspokenness, Iddrisu Haruna attacks the open secret of high and deep levels of corruption in the public sector in Ghana. Zero Tolerance: Public Sector Corruption in Ghana, which he published himself, grew out of his studies for a master's degree in sociology from the University of Ghana, Legon, where he was also president of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS). He implicates many in the book—including politicians, citizens, and foreigners—and denounces those who turn a blind eye to bribery, incentives, and dashes. Haruna probes structural and systemic reasons, along with some cultural reasons for this situation, querying why it is necessary to grease the palms of schoolmasters, telephone service providers, ministry employees, and others simply to get public servants to do their jobs. He insists that citizens have a right to these services and that it is a responsibility of the state to provide them. Further, he rejects all notions that corruption is intrinsic to African culture.

Haruna argues that widespread corruption in Ghana is a learned behavior and a dire consequence of the poor and ineffectual functioning of the state. Despite current President J. A. Kuffour's declaration of "Zero Tolerance for Corruption" in his inaugural address as third president of the Fourth Republic, rhetoric from the apex of the state structure does not match reality on the ground. Corruption persists, is pervasive, and pandemic; it is now part and parcel of the Ghanaian way of life, "necessary for survival," a norm rather than the exception. Temptations, he tells us, are too great for even the most moral of public servants to resist. Yet, Haruna maintains, it would be incorrect to conclude that all Ghanaians and public servants are corrupt or participate in bribery. But those who are the most honest and hard-working are constantly harassed by their colleagues, who remind them that their meager salaries are not enough to sustain them or their families. Haruna tells us that both "cupidity" and "keeping up with the Joneses" are strong incentives for corruption.

Haruna interrogates the causal relationship between corruption, bad governance, stagnant development, and decreasing foreign investment. He identifies corruption as the instigator of all these maladies and calls for a moral crusade to bring about honesty, probity, and transparency as a means to achieve good governance, economic growth, sustainable development, and increased foreign investment. He appeals to individual Ghanaians to do their part to combat and control corruption in order to revive the integrity of civil society and the state. Specifically, he calls on the police, the judiciary, the media, NGOs, the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to expose corruption and penalize corrupt behavior. Zero Tolerance ends on a positive note, arguing that corruption is not inevitable and making a strong case for a reward system for honest, hard-working public servants.

I recommend Haruna's book to academics, students, policymakers, organizations, and individuals who are interested in understanding the roots, manifestations, and consequences of public sector corruption in Ghana and beyond, and who are committed to combating it, both inside and outside of Africa.

A postscript: After completing his degree in sociology, Iddrissu Haruna attended Ghana Law School and now continues his campaign against corruption as a member of parliament representing Tamale South. He belongs to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and is the party's national youth organizer.