80 out of 180: Ghana maintains improved anti-corruption scores in 2019 CPI

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Ghana has maintained its improved anti-corruption scores in the latest Corruption Perception Index scores released by Transparency International (TI).

Ghana dropped in the scores from 45 to 40 between 2012 and 2017 but began to score an improvement in 2018 albeit marginal.

The latest report comes at a time when the Akufo-Addo Administration continues to bolster the nation’s anti- corruption institutions.

According to Transparency International, the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2019 scores and ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption. The CPI 2019 draws on 13 surveys and expert assessments to measure public sector corruption giving each country a score from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

CPI 2019 focuses on political integrity and highlights the relationship between politics, money and corruption.
By political integrity1, TI means the quality of: (a) contesting and exercising power (political/public office) consistently acting in the public interest, and (b) providing equal, open and meaningful access to the affected stakeholders before arriving at decisions.

Ghana’s scored 41 out of a possible clean score of 100 in the CPI 2019 and ranked 80 out of 180 countries/territories included in this year’s index.

This year’s score of 41 shows that Ghana’s score remained the same compared to its CPI 2018 score (41). The following are Ghana’s CPI scores from 2012 when the scores became comparable: Year 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 CPI score 45 46 48 47 43 40 41 41 Ghana’s Performance Vis-a-vis Other Sub-Saharan African Countries Ghana performed better than 37 other Sub-Saharan African countries including Burkina Faso 40, Lesotho 40, Ethiopia 37, Gambia 37, Tanzania 37, and performed below 9 others.

In 2019, while Ghana performed better than Burkina Faso and Lesotho, Ghana could not catch up with countries like South Africa, Senegal, São Tomé and Príncipe, etc. that scored better than Ghana in 2018.

In the report, the Ghana Integrity Initiative, the local Chapter of TI recommends that government must take a critical look at elements that promote public sector corruption including patronage, clientelism, nepotism and suspiciously close ties between politics and business.

It also advises that government should enforce sanctions against vote buying, abuse of incumbency and threats to voters in order to ensure the 2020 elections are held in a fair and transparent environment.

Political parties must demonstrate a high sense of integrity and transparency in all their campaign finances to avoid the snares of ‘political entrepreneurs’.

It added that Civil society organisations including the media must offer equal opportunities for espousing of ideas, programmes and plans and create platforms to hold duty bearers accountable

Ghana scored 41 out of a possible clean score of 100 in the CPI 2019 and ranked 80 out of 180 countries/territories included in this year’s index. This year’s score of 41 shows that Ghana’s score remained the same compared to its CPI 2018 score (41).

Ghana performed better than 37 other Sub-Saharan African countries including Burkina Faso 40, Lesotho 40, Ethiopia 37, Gambia 37, Tanzania 37.

In 2019, while Ghana performed better than Burkina Faso and Lesotho, Ghana could not catch up with countries like South Africa, Senegal, São Tomé and Príncipe, etc. that scored better than Ghana in 2018.

Recommendations by GII

1. The government must take a critical look at elements that promote public sector corruption including patronage, clientelism, nepotism and suspiciously close ties between politics and business.
2. The government should enforce sanctions against vote-buying, abuse of incumbency and threats to voters in order to ensure the 2020 elections are held in a fair and transparent environment.
3. Political parties must demonstrate a high sense of integrity and transparency in all their campaign finances to avoid the snares of ‘political entrepreneurs’
4. The Electoral Commission should enforce sections 13 and 14 of the Political Parties Act, 2000 (Act 574) which deal with the declaration of assets and expenditure by political parties.
5. Civil society organisations, including the media, must offer equal opportunities for espousing of ideas, programmes and plans and create platforms to hold duty bearers accountable.

Source: Daily Mail GH