Insufficient finance prevents CHRAJ from carrying out its duty
Joseph Whittal, the Commissioner of Ghana’s Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), has emphasised that the institution’s inability to adequately carry out its duty is hampered by a serious budget problem. The institution’s 30th anniversary celebration was officially launched on July 6, 2023, during which the commissioner made the announcement. The chronic problem…
Joseph Whittal, the Commissioner of Ghana’s Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), has emphasised that the institution’s inability to adequately carry out its duty is hampered by a serious budget problem.
The institution’s 30th anniversary celebration was officially launched on July 6, 2023, during which the commissioner made the announcement.
The chronic problem of inadequate money has made it difficult for the commission to operate properly, Commissioner Joseph Whittal emphasised during the opening.
The fact that CHRAJ includes three different institutions yet is given funds as though it were a single organisation, he said, makes the situation paradoxical.
“Inadequate finance for the institution, which is for all intents and purposes, has been the commission’s main struggle throughout the years.
The contradiction of this commission, he observed, “is three institutions rolled into one but funded as if its it only one institution.”
He further disclosed that the Ministry of Finance still sees CHRAJ as a single institution despite efforts to explain this important distinction to the government, including references to pertinent court rulings.
As a result, the commission only gets funding designated for a single institution, which restricts its ability to successfully carry out its several tasks.
“Over the years, we have attempted to explain to the government how we are three in one; even the judiciary has attempted to do so in these rulings and verdicts. However, the ministry of finances only views us as one and provides us with resources for one, which is our issue.
Therefore, he said, “the commission is constrained in the delivery of its multiple mandates as a result of inadequate funding.”
