Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has warned that increasing sophistication in society, particularly in the era of science and technology, is deepening corrupt practices as individuals use intelligence and knowledge of systems to evade accountability.
Speaking in an interview on the JoyNews AM Show, the former president said advancements in science and technology have brought significant progress to society but have also created new avenues for wrongdoing.
According to him, while innovation continues to refine systems and processes, not everyone uses their intelligence for positive purposes.
Instead, some individuals exploit their brilliance to engage in corrupt activities and attempt to outsmart systems designed to ensure accountability.
“People may steal, commit wrongdoing and then try to get away with it through their smartness,” he noted.
Despite the persistence of corruption, Mr Kufuor argued that the public’s reaction to it should not necessarily be described as tolerance.
Rather, he described the situation as resignation, where citizens feel there is little they can do to change unacceptable practices.
“To me, it is not tolerance. It is resignation. People feel they cannot find a way around the situation,” he said.
Mr Kufuor stressed that society must continue probing and searching for effective ways to expose and deal with individuals who exploit systems for personal gain.
He further identified two major sources of corruption within the system, with poor remuneration in the public sector being a key factor.
Using Ghana as an example, he noted that many highly trained public officials, including long-serving directors in government ministries, earn salaries that do not reflect their responsibilities or current economic realities.
Such officials, he said, often have families to support, including children whose education they must fund, while also meeting social obligations within extended family structures.
In many cases, the income they earn is insufficient to meet these demands, creating pressure that can lead to unethical practices.
He explained that some officials resort to bureaucratic delays, commonly known as red tape, particularly when handling licensing and regulatory processes.
Applications that should take only a few days to process may take several months, pushing frustrated applicants to offer inducements—popularly referred to as “brown envelopes”—to speed up the process.
According to the former president, the situation has become widespread across various sectors, including the police service, the courts, politics and even academia.
He added that low salaries among some law enforcement officers also make them vulnerable to corrupt practices.
Beyond remuneration issues, Mr Kufuor said the country’s natural resource wealth has also contributed to corruption challenges.
Referring to Ghana’s mineral resources, he quoted a well-known political remark that the country “sits on gold and yet remains poor,” highlighting the paradox between resource abundance and economic struggles.
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