Gov't Anti-Corruption Efforts Yielding Results – Info Minister

Government says its fight against corruption cannot be described as “totally lost” as recent corruption reports show Ghana has improved its scores.

The Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, made this statement on Sunday while addressing the media.

He said the government is committed to follow through with the anti-corruption fight and do more.

The 2019 global Corruption Perception Index ranked Ghana 80 out of 180 countries with a score of 41, the same score as 2018, slightly below the global average.

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah noted that although there's more to be done in the fight against corruption, he said data shows that the government's efforts so far are yielding significant results.

“The Government of Ghana pledges to continue with the recent efforts that have led to improved scores in the recently released corruption perception index and the global corruption barometer. There is still a lot of work but the numbers are speaking for themselves. 2015, 76% were of the view that corruption was increasing, by 2019, only 33% hold that view so when someone goes around and say that the fight has totally been lost, that is not the view as the data shows when the experts conduct the survey,” he said.

While the government touts the development as being on the right track, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) said the latest score on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) signifies President Nana Akufo-Addo's failed fight against corruption.

The party in a statement signed by its National Communication Officer, Sammy Gyamfi said the drop by two places on the index is a dent on Ghana's reputation.

“These latest results of the CPI highlight President Akufo-Addo's failed fight against corruption in Ghana, as the country could not improve upon its paltry score of 41 points recorded in 2018. According to the latest survey, Ghana ranked dropped from an already low ranking of 78 to 80 out of 180 countries, thereby achieving the unenviable feat of being behind countries such as Namibia, Senegal and Rwanda in the fight against corruption.”

“Our drop of two (2) places on the latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI), is yet another dent on Ghana's reputation and a testament to the endemic corruption that has engulfed the Akufo-Addo government. This latest CPI confirms the recent Afrobarometer survey findings by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD), that 53% of Ghanaians think that corruption has worsened under the Akufo-Addo-led government.”

In the latest index, Denmark and New Zealand top with 87 points each. Syria, South Sudan, and Somalia were at the bottom of the Index with 13, 12 and 9 points respectively.

The highest-scoring region was Western Europe and European Union with an average score of 66, while the lowest scoring region was Sub Sahara Africa, with an average score of 32.

In 2015, Ghana scored 47 and in 2016, came down to 43. In 2017, it recorded the worst performance with an average score of 40 out of 100 and rose marginally to 41 in 2018 and maintained that figure in 2019.

Even though Ghana performed better than neighbouring Burkina Faso as well as Lesotho, the country could not catch up with countries like South Africa, Senegal, São Tomé and Principe that scored better than Ghana in 2018.

---citinewsroom