Education without character is fuelling Ghana's corruption crisis - Prof. Agyemang-Duah

Prof. Baffour Agyemang-Duah, former United Nations Senior Governance Adviser, spoke on Joy FM's Midday News during a discussion on the ongoing constitutional review process, attributing many of Ghana's governance challenges to a lack of character-driven leadership. He argued that education without strong moral values has contributed to corruption and poor public administration. Prof. Agyemang-Duah stated, "If a nation does not have core values that it cherishes, no matter what laws you pass, or consitutiomnal reviews you undergo, we are not going to change anything. The character of the people is a problem and I think I can say that education without character is worse than getting no education at all because we are going to use that education, as we have it now, to create problems for the country."

He called for a fundamental overhaul of Ghana's educational system to place greater emphasis on character formation alongside academic achievement. According to Prof. Agyemang-Duah, schools should deliberately instil values such as honesty, patriotism, discipline, and public service to prepare young people for responsible leadership. He noted that despite the country's investment in education, many entrusted with public office engage in corruption and unethical practices.