Improved corruption ranking an indication of our work in progress – Gov’t

Government has welcomed a recent ranking which shows a slight improvement in Ghana’s ranking on the corruption perception index worldwide.

According to government, the ranking is an “indication of work in progress”.

“While admitting that the marginal increase in the score is only an indication of work in progress, government wishes to congratulate Ghanaians in general and anti-graft agencies in particular,” government noted in a statement from the Information Ministry.

Ghana’s performance on the corruption perception index increased from a score of 40 in 2017 to 41 in 2018.

The report placed Ghana at 78 out of 180 countries; an improvement from 2017’s rank of 81.

According to figures from Transparency International, the score is a positive departure from the continuous drop the country has been experiencing since 2015’s score of 47.

Government in a statement said it is doing everything possible to reduce corruption in the country, and urged Ghanaians to rally behind it to achieve the vision.

“We reiterate government’s commitment to combating the menace of public sector corruption in our body polity, and we ask the good people of Ghana to support government’s Digital Inclusive Agenda that has played a major role in reducing human interface in key transactions,” the signed by Deputy Minister of Information, Pius Enam Hadzide added.

Ghana scored 40 points out of 100 on the 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index.

Ghana has averaged 38.75 Points from 1998 until 2017, reaching an all-time high of 48 Points in 2014 and a record low of 33 Points in 1999.

The country’s performance, according to a release by Ghana Integrity Initiative, the local chapter of Transparency International, was impacted by a number of factors including policies and initiatives by the government.

Below is the full statement:

GHANA IMPROVES IN 2018 GLOBAL CPI; GOVERNMENT WELCOMES RANKING

Government has taken note of Ghana’s improved score on the 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) after three years of continuous decline.

The 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released worldwide this morning by Transparency International, scored Ghana 41 out of a possible clean score of 100 and ranked the country 78 out of 180 countries and territories.

While admitting that the marginal increase in the score is only an indication of work in progress, government wishes to congratulate Ghanaians in general and anti-graft agencies in particular. We reiterate government’s commitment to combating the menace of public sector corruption in our body polity, and we ask the good people of Ghana to support government’s Digital Inclusive Agenda that has played a major role in reducing human interface in key transactions.

We note that the introduction of the Paperless Port Operations, the Integrated E-Immigration, E-Procurement, E-Passport, the establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor and the general liberalized media environment have positively affected Ghana’s outlook.

Government assures that it will guard against complacency and expects Ghanaians to support the policies and interventions that support and strengthen institutions, vested with powers to ensure equity in our public sector.

PIUS ENAM HADZIDE
DEPUTY MINISTER OF INFORMATION