The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), operational budget has increased from GH¢1.8 million in 2016 to GH¢5 million in 2019, and GH¢12.2 million for the 2020 fiscal year, while its overall budget increased from GH¢16.8 million in 2016 to over GH¢40 million in 2020.
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice is an independent organization for the safeguarding of human rights in Ghana.
Employees of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) have had to contribute to help the commission operate for most of the year.
Budgetary constraints have resulted in the staff association bailing out the commission by personally providing money to buy fuel for vehicles and pay utilities in offices.
Out of the 2015 budgeted allocation of GH¢15,244,538 from the government, only GH¢450,000 has been received by CHRAJ, apart from the salaries of its staff.
The situation has affected all the operations of the commission, including scheduled implementation programs for the integrated national anti-corruption plan, the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP).
It was established in 1993 by an Act 456 of the Parliament of Ghana as directed by Article 216 of the 1992 Ghana constitution.
The commission is made up of a commissioner and two deputy commissioners, who are appointed by the President of Ghana under Article 70 of the Ghanaian constitution.
The commissioner must be qualified to be a Justice of the Appeal Court and the deputies must be eligible to be justices of the High Court.
The first commissioner was Emile Short who retired in 2010. The current commissioner is Lauretta Lamptey.
In July 2012, Joseph Akanjoluer Whittal was sworn in by President John Atta Mills as a deputy commissioner.
Joseph Whittal was appointed by President Mahama to replace Lauretta Lamptey in 2016.
Source: Kofi Atakora
