Prof. Enoch Opoku Antwi says societal expectations and material benchmarks of success are key drivers of corruption in Ghana.
He stated that many citizens judge success by cars, houses and visible wealth, creating pressure on individuals who take public office.
“Our expectation as a people is that when you get to public office you need a flashy car and a lot of cars. You need some houses. You need to employ some people,” he said an interview with TV3 monitored by MyNewsGh.
He added that such expectations normalize the pursuit of illegitimate income sources, even influencing parents seeking school placements for their children.
“Some parents say they are ready to pay anything. Is that not corruption?” he noted.
Prof. Opoku Antwi also referenced attempts by individuals to justify questionable wealth, pointing out that claims of profit from minor trading activities often go unquestioned.
He stressed that an opaque economic system makes it difficult to verify the true origins of wealth.
He warned that as long as society categorizes people by material possessions, efforts to curb corruption will remain undermined.
“We are using material things to categorize people, and if that is the expectation, everybody wants to be at that level,” he said.
