President Akufo-Addo and John Mahama
President
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has beaten former President John Dramani Mahama on
the recent corruption rating posted by the world-acclaimed Transparency
International with regard to its afrobarometer report on corruption for the
years 2015 and 2019.
The
drop in the incidence of corruption at the Presidency from the figure of 47% in
2015 to 27% speaks volumes about which of the two leaders deserves plaudits
since the New Patriotic Party (NPP) took over as the ruling party.
The
highly esteemed and much awaited Transparency International’s 2019
Afrobarometer Report should constitute an unbiased response to the opposition
National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) claim that former President Mahama has a
better anti-corruption record.
Declining Corruption Rate
The
most significant aspect of the survey report is the steady decline in the
incidence of corruption in the country since the previous government was
replaced by the current.
The
report has it that whereas the overall bribery rate in 2015 stood at 36%, this
figure dropped to 33% in 2019.
In
public schools, the figure of 24% for incidence of bribery dropped to 15% this
year. For public clinics and health centres, the 2015 figure of 17% dropped to
12% in 2019 and in IDs, the 2015 figure of 38% read 33% in 2019.
In
the area of public utilities, the incidence of bribery of 35% in 2015 fell to
23% in 2019.
Bribery In Police
Of
particular importance is the decline in the incidence of bribery in the police
which figure of 58% in 2015 changed to 24% this year.
Corruption In Institutions
The
corruption rate of 47% among MPs in 2015 dropped to 27% in 2019 under the
present government and the figure of 53% for government officials dropping to
35% this year.
The
figure of 43% for local government officials dropped to 27% and among judges
and magistrates, the figure of 49% reduced to 38%.
Among
religious leaders, the figure of 25% went down to 17% and among NGOs, the
figure of 25% changed to 14% this year.
Among
business executives, corruption figure of 44% fell to 22% and that of traditional
leaders moved from 37% to 28%.
Has Corruption Dropped?
Seventy-six
per cent (76%) of Ghanaians surveyed in 2015 felt corruption level had
increased in the past 12 months but in 2019 only 23% thought so.
In
2015, 8% of Ghanaians thought corruption level decreased in the past 12 months
but in 2019 the figure increased to 36%.
Is Government Doing Well?
In
2015, whereas 25% of Ghanaians thought government was doing well in the fight
against corruption in 2019 the figure moved to 60%.
With
the government in power (Mahama & NDC) in 2015 attracting 71% as doing
badly in the fight against corruption, the President Akufo-Addo and his NPP had
only 30% saying same.
Whereas
33% of Ghanaians think corruption increased in the previous 12 months, 30% hold
the view that government is doing a bad job at tackling it.
Transparency
International is a global movement which seeks to rid countries of corruption
by periodically releasing such reports. It has more than 100 worldwide and an
international secretariat in Berlin, Germany.
Corruption
continues to bedevil most African countries constituting the source of their
inability to provide social services to their peoples among other deficiencies.
President
Akufo-Addo during his speech at the Ghana Bar Association conference in
Takoradi flaunted his record so far in the fight against corruption.
He
reiterated specifically that he did not come to public office to enrich
himself, a statement the opposition NDC has found it difficult to counter.
Expectedly,
the opposition NDC organized a press conference on Tuesday to challenge the
President on his claims of fighting corruption but could not say the President
is personally corrupt.
The afrobarometer corruption report presents to Ghanaians and others the true picture of who has done better and showed sincerity in the fight against corruption.
By A.R. Gomda
