A report by Transparency International (TI)’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2023, which was released today, January 30, 2024, revealed that Ghana has scored 43 in the fight against corruption for the fourth year in a row.
The report released by The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), the local chapter of Transparency International in its report said, Ghana scored 43 out of a clean score of 100 and ranked 70th out of 180 countries and territories included in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2023 released today, 30th January 2024 by Transparency International (TI).
This feat marks the fourth consecutive year of stagnation in Ghana’s anti-corruption efforts, as indicated by the CPI.
Transparency International blamed Ghana’s standstill on the failing legal system, which it claims is making public officials less accountable and fostering corruption.
“Under the theme for the CPI 2023 – Corruption and Justice, Ghana’s stagnated score highlights a global trend of deteriorating justice systems, which is reducing the accountability of public officials and therefore allowing corruption to thrive.”
“The connection is reinforced by Ghana’s performance in the Rule of Law Index produced by the World Justice Project, which demonstrates a concerning decline. In the 2015 Rule of Law Index, Ghana scored 0.60 and ranked 34, but by 2023, Ghana’s score had decreased to 0.55, with a corresponding drop in ranking to 61,” the report added.
On recommendations, GII has asked Parliament to take steps to lay the Conduct of Public Officers’ Bill to ensure that provisions on assets declaration require verification and come with severe sanctions for persons who may not comply.
“The Executive should urgently take steps to lay the Conduct of Public Officers’ Bill in Parliament ensuring that provisions on assets declaration require verification and come with severe sanctions for non-compliance while GII also calls on the Legislature to attach an equal level of urgency to its timely passage. The Executive and the Legislature must take steps to bridge the legal gaps necessary for the prosecution of selected corruption cases outside our current legal framework,” GII said in its report.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Vivian Adu
