Accra, June 10, GNA – The Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) has described the country’s fight against corruption in 2024 as stagnant, with minimal progress made despite efforts by both state and non-state actors to prevent the menace.
The report highlights growing public dissatisfaction, citing findings from Afrobarometer’s Round 10 (2024) survey, which shows a decline in citizen confidence in the government’s ability to combat corruption.
GACC noted that perceptions of institutional corruption remained high, and many existing safeguards were failing to deter or reduce corrupt practices.
This was contained in the Coalition’s second annual corruption report, launched at the weekend, which tracked the Ghana’s performance between January and December 2024.
The report assessesed progress, challenges, and effectiveness of anti-corruption interventions and made recommendations for stronger reforms.
Despite several ongoing investigations and prosecutions by state accountability institutions, the report concluded that Ghana’s anti-corruption architecture remained vulnerable.
It observed that key recommendations from the 2023 Report, such as the passage of the Conduct of Public Officers Bill, were not implemented, raising doubts about the political will to tackle corruption decisively.
On actions by state actors, the report acknowledged efforts such as public sensitisation, training of officials, and use of institutional tools to detect and address corruption.
“However, these have not resulted in significant change,” it said.
The GACC lauded the contributions of civil society organisations (CSOs) for the continuous public education, advocacy, and capacity building, despite operational challenges.
The report emphasises the need for greater collaboration between CSOs and the state to drive reform.
It called on the Government to establish a centralised corruption database, coordinated by the Attorney-General’s Office, to track cases, asset recovery, and prosecution outcomes.
The report urged the government to strengthen the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to ensure enforcement of audit recommendations and impose sanctions on public officers found culpable.
It suggested to the Government to review and pass the Conduct of Public Officers Bill to provide clear rules on gift policy, conflict of interest, and asset declarations.
It called for reforms in the Internal Audit system by making auditors independent of the ministries and departments they audit, and set up specialised anti-corruption courts to speed up trials and deter misconduct.
It said reforms in campaign and political party financing, particularly following spending patterns during the 2024 general elections, was necessary to prevent corrupt practices.
It urged political parties to support civil society-led efforts to develop legislation in this area.
To support investigative journalism, GACC recommended a collaboration between the Ghana Journalists Association, CSOs, and corporate Ghana to create a protection fund for journalists facing threats in the course of their work.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe