Ghana improves on Corruption Perception Index
Ghana’s has improved by a point on the latest corruption perception index released Tuesday.
The 2018 CPI scores Ghana 41 out of a possible clean score of 100 and ranks the country 78 out of 180 countries/territories included in this year’s index.
A statement by the Ghana Integrity Initiative – the local chapter of Transparency International – said Ghana’s performance is a positive departure from the continuous drop the country has been experiencing since the year 2015.
The statement said several factors including policies and initiatives by government and state institutions implemented during the period under consideration could have accounted for this improvement.
“The enhanced performance of the Audit Service and the Auditor General in discharging their constitutional mandate and ensuring the protection of the public purse could have made some impact on the 2018 CPI score.
“The paperless port clearing system under the Digital Inclusive Agenda and the establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor to fight corruption and corruption related offences in spite of the office’s teething challenges could have equally impacted on Ghana’s 2018 CPI score.
The ongoing Judicial Service reforms including efforts to promote high standards of integrity amongst Judges and Magistrates, and Judicial staff, and the E-Justice System cannot also go unmentioned.”
The 2018 CPI draws on 13 surveys and expert assessments to measure public sector corruption giving each country a score from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). According to TI, the 2018 CPI reveals that the continued failure of most countries to significantly control corruption is contributing to a crisis of democracy around the world.
In this year’s index, Denmark and New Zealand top with 88 and 87 points, respectively. Somalia, South Sudan and Syria are at the bottom of the index, with 10, 13 and 13 points, respectively.
The highest scoring region is Western Europe and the European Union, with an average score of 66, while the lowest scoring regions are Sub-Saharan Africa (average score 32) and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (average score 35).
More than two-thirds of countries score below 50, with an average score of only 43. Since 2012, only 20 countries have significantly improved their scores, including Argentina and Côte D’Ivoire, and 16 have significantly declined, including, Australia, Chile and Malta.
The following are Ghana’s CPI scores from 2012 when the scores became comparable – 2012 (45); 2013 (46); 2014 (48); 2015 (47), 2016 (43); 2017 (40) and 2018 (41).
Source: starrfmonline