Accra: The 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) report released by Transparency International (TI) has revealed that Ghana's anti-corruption efforts have declined as the score drops for the first time in five years.
According to Ghana News Agency, the report, which was made available by the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), indicated that over the past decade, corruption has remained a critical governance issue influencing citizens' decisions on the performance of governments globally. Despite several efforts to address this issue, Ghana's performance on the CPI remains below the average score of 50 out of 100.
Ghana has scored 42 out of a clean score of 100 in the CPI 2024, ranking 80th out of 180 countries and territories assessed in this year's report released by TI. This marks a decline from Ghana's score of 43 in 2023, signaling a setback in the country's anti-corruption efforts.
The report highlighted that since 2015, Ghana has dropped 5 points on the CPI, reflecting persistent challenges in tackling corruption despite various policy interventions and institutional reforms. It suggested that policy, legal, and administrative reforms require further review and strengthening.
In terms of Ghana's performance in Sub-Saharan Africa, the report stated that with a score of 42, Ghana ranks 11th among 49 Sub-Saharan African countries included in the index, alongside Albania. Ghana's performance lags behind regional leaders such as Seychelles, Cabo Verde, Botswana, Rwanda, and Mauritius, who scored above 50, but is ahead of countries like Burkina Faso, South Africa, and Tanzania.
The report noted that in 2024, the Sub-Saharan African region once again registered the lowest average score on the Corruption Perceptions Index, at just 33 out of 100, with 90 percent of countries scoring below 50. 'Yet amid this very low annual performance, there were African countries that invested in anti-corruption and made remarkable progress,' the report said. For instance, Tanzania has gained 10 points since 2014, as corrupt officials finally faced consequences for their actions.
The global trends and implications highlighted by the CPI 2024 report showed a worrying trend: over two-thirds of countries worldwide scored below 50, indicating serious corruption problems in the public sector. The global average remains at 43, showing little progress over the past decade. Countries with weak democratic institutions, ineffective law enforcement, and inadequate anti-corruption frameworks continue to perform poorly, reinforcing the urgent need for systemic reforms.
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 cited in the report was 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. The incident highlights the dangers faced by journalists and the broader implications of corruption in the mining sector.
To reverse this troubling trend, GII called on the new government to implement key recommendations such as enhancing the legislature's oversight role, urging that Parliament should enhance its financial oversight responsibilities by empowering the Public Accounts Committee with enforcement authority and establishing the Budget and Fiscal Analysis Department. This is expected to enhance fiscal discipline and prevent the mismanagement of public funds.
