The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said Ghana’s latest score on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) signifies President Nana Akufo-Addo’s failed fight against corruption.
Ghana ranked 80 out of 180 countries on the 2019 CPI, which is prepared by Transparency International (TI).
According to the report, Ghana scored 41 out of a possible clean score of 100 – the same score as 2018.
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.”
Mr. Gyamfi cited the PDS, 2018 commonwealth games visa fraud, among others, as clear examples of corruption cases the government failed to tackle.
“Whether it was the PDS scandal, the BOST scandal involving 5 million litres of deliberately contaminated
fuel sold under dubious circumstances, or the PPA scandal or the Australia Visa Fraud scandal, the “#12”
and “Galamsey Fraud” investigations by ace journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, or the recent Northern
Development Authority (NDA) Scandal involving over 400 missing tricycles, President Akufo-Addo has
failed to show a genuine commitment to the fight against corruption.“Instead of punishing his corrupt officials who have been involved in acts of corruption, President AkufoAddo has turned himself into the chief clearing agent of corruption in his government and has endorsed,
whitewashed and promoted his errant appointees who have been engaged in these corrupt acts. His
continuous support for acts of corruption in his government is what has emboldened his appointees to
entrench themselves in wholesale corruption, thereby eliciting the consistent condemnation of even the
diplomatic community in Ghana.”
Details of CPI
In this year’s 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.
