Ghana’s fight against corruption has suffered a significant setback, as the country’s score on the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) has dropped for the first time in five years.
According to the latest report released by Transparency International (TI), Ghana recorded a score of 42 out of a clean 100, ranking 80th out of 180 countries and territories.
This marks a decline from its 2023 score of 43 and highlights persistent governance challenges despite numerous policy interventions and institutional reforms.
The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), the local chapter of TI, in a statement, raised concerns over this decline, warning that it reflects a broader failure to implement effective anti-corruption measures.
“Since 2015 (a 10-year trend as depicted in…), Ghana has dropped 5 points on the CPI, reflecting persistent challenges in tackling corruption despite various policy interventions and institutional reforms. The decline suggests that the policy, legal and administrative reforms require further review and strengthening.”
Ghana Integrity Initiative
In Sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana ranks 11th out of 49 countries assessed, sharing its position with Albania.
While Ghana remains ahead of regional peers such as Burkina Faso (41), South Africa (41), and Tanzania (41), it continues to trail behind high-performing nations like Seychelles (72), Cabo Verde (62), Botswana (57), Rwanda (57), and Mauritius (51), which scored above the 50-point threshold.
Despite the region’s overall poor performance, with an average score of just 33, some African nations have demonstrated significant progress.
According to the Ghana Integrity Initiative, Tanzania, for instance, has gained 10 points since 2014 by adopting a strict accountability approach, where high-level officials suspected of corruption are swiftly dismissed and subjected to legal scrutiny.
“The country has also established a specialized anti-corruption court dedicated to handling financial crimes efficiently”.
Ghana Integrity Initiative
Corruption’s Impact on Ghana’s Climate Crisis and Press Freedom
Moreover, the Ghana Integrity Initiative pointed out that the 2024 CPI report also highlights the dangerous link between corruption and environmental degradation.
The GII’s statement emphasized that Corruption weakens climate policies, diverts critical funds meant for environmental protection, and emboldens criminal activities that threaten natural resources.
“In Ghana, corruption remains a significant challenge, particularly in the allocation of mining licenses, where abuse of power and discretion threaten the integrity of natural resources such as forests and water bodies.
“A striking example is the recent attack on three staff members of the Multimedia Group Limited, including journalist Erastus Asare Donkor, by armed men allegedly working for Edelmetallum Resources Limited, a mining company in the Ashanti Region. “
Ghana Integrity Initiative
This incident according to the Ghana Integrity Initiative highlights the urgent need for stronger protections for journalists and whistleblowers combating corruption.
Key Recommendations to Reverse the Decline
To address this troubling trend, the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) outlined a series of urgent recommendations for the new government.
It called for strengthened parliamentary oversight, asserting that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) must be empowered with enforcement authority to ensure greater fiscal discipline and accountability in the management of public funds.
The anti-corruption organisation hopes the establishment of a Budget and Fiscal Analysis Department (BFAD) will further enhance legislative oversight.
The Ghana Integrity Initiative also called for the establishment of a Specialized Anti-Corruption Court. It urged the executive to collaborate with the Judiciary to set up a dedicated anti-corruption court, modelled after Tanzania’s, to expedite corruption-related cases.
This court, it advised, must be staffed with well-trained personnel specializing in financial crimes.
To depoliticize the civil and public services, the Ghana Integrity Initiative advocated for a transparent and independent appointment into the country’s civil and public service. This it believes will curb politically motivated appointments that often lead to mismanagement and corruption.
In its calls for strengthening whistleblower and journalist protections, the local chapter of Transparency International demanded that legal reforms are needed to guarantee the safety of individuals who expose corruption.
It emphasized that a secure environment for investigative journalism is crucial for accountability. The Ghana Integrity Initiative further called for the enactment of the Conduct of Public Officers and Internal Audit Agency Bills.
The passage of these bills according to GII will enhance asset declaration requirements, regulate conflicts of interest, and empower agencies to conduct lifestyle audits to identify unexplained wealth.
Among other key recommendations, the Ghana Integrity Initiative urged government agencies to develop standardized systems for tracking climate finance expenditures to ensure accountability and prevent mismanagement.
It also challenged key political stakeholders to engage in a thorough review of Ghana’s political party financing laws to curb undue influence on governance and electoral processes.
Ghana’s declining CPI score underscores the urgent need for renewed political will and commitment to anti-corruption efforts. Without decisive action, the country risks further erosion of public trust in governance and democratic institutions.
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