TITLE:
Reviving and Building Moral Education and Ethical Values in Public and Professional Practice in Ghana
AUTHORS:
Alex A. Appiah, Felix N. K. Tetteh
KEYWORDS:
Education, National Values Charter, Morality, Ethics, Spirituality, Career Guidance, Counselling
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.14 No.4,
April
27,
2026
ABSTRACT: Over the years, concerns about unethical behavior and corruption in the public and business sectors have kept growing, with tremendous consequences for national integrity, cohesion, and equitable development within Ghanaian society. These have led to political tensions and debate on the need to hold officials to account and improve national values and ethics in public and professional practice. Although there are national and organizational systems aimed at preventing unethical behaviors such as bribery, corruption, substandard work, and misuse of national resources and confidential information in organizations, these societal ills persist. This study uses historical review and policy analysis, drawing on psychodynamic theory to examine the underlying factors and root causes of such development-limiting tendencies. It calls on professional organizations and policymakers to use the well-established and respected national artifacts and revered religious values to develop a national value framework that can be implemented to solve these perennial ills. The paper reviews progress made in Ghana’s educational system, the various reforms made since the post-colonial era, and identifies the embedded weaknesses. It analyses how the uniting themes of the national anthem (“God bless our homeland Ghana”), the national pledge, and the widely accepted religious or spiritual values could be integrated into the various levels of the educational curricula and professional training to develop a patriotic spirit and strong ethical and moral citizens needed for national development. Conceptually, we highlight how humane and ethical values can be integrated into the entire educational system, professional standards, codes of practice, the wider organizational culture, and the national consciousness. Key challenges and actionable recommendations are put forward to aid the urgent dialogue on how to develop an acceptable national values charter to guide Ghana’s collective development and middle-income aspirations.