Ghana unveils five-year blueprint against corruption

Ghana is set to introduce a new five-year National Ethics and Anti-Corruption Action Plan (2026–2030), a strategy aimed at strengthening the country’s fight against entrenched corruption and restoring public trust in governance.

The initiative was announced in Accra by Ms. Mary Awelana Addah, Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), during the first stakeholder consultation session.

She described the plan as a critical tool to rebuild national integrity and address the corrosive effects of corruption on development.

The new framework succeeds the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP), which ran until 2020. According to Ms. Addah, an evaluation conducted by Transparency International showed that NACAP had limited impact, with Ghana’s performance on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) stagnating. The country scored 33 in both 2020 and 2023, before a modest improvement to 42 in 2024.

“This stagnation and decline highlight that corruption remains an obstacle to equitable development, investor confidence, and citizens’ trust in governance,” she said.

Ms. Addah stressed that the new plan must move beyond lofty ideals and include practical, inclusive, and measurable indicators that citizens can use to hold institutions accountable. To ensure broad ownership, the multi-sectoral working group developing the plan will consult more than 400 institutions nationwide, engaging civil society, the private sector, religious bodies, and other key groups.

“These consultations, which include representatives from civil society, the private sector, religious bodies, and other key groups, are designed to gather critical insights and enrich the draft,” she explained.

She added that smaller, interactive consultative sessions are being held across various regions to capture diverse perspectives. Technical experts are expected to guide discussions on legal frameworks, enforcement gaps, and the role of ethics in fighting corruption.

The GII Director emphasised that the fight against corruption cannot rest solely on government. “A national commitment and partnership between leaders and citizens is imperative,” she stressed, noting that under the 1992 constitutional dispensation, expectations had fallen short.

With the new plan, however, she expressed confidence that stakeholders can chart a stronger course to confront corruption head-on and strengthen accountability across all sectors.