The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) has urged the government to allow state institutions to work independently and without undue interference in order to reduce the perception of corruption in the country.
The call comes on the back of the latest Corruption Perception Index which places Ghana 81 out of 180 countries monitored for the exercise.
Ghana scored 40 as against last year’s score of 43 – dropping 11 places in the latest CPI. It is Ghana’s worst performance in the last six years in its fight against corruption.
Programs manager for the GII Mary Addah cited government’s handling of the allegation of corruption at the (BOST) as part of the factors that may have influenced Ghana’s ratings.
“One of the examples is the issue that happened at BOST. We believe that the investigation should have come with some sanctions, what we want to see is commitment from government as espoused by the President. If an allegation comes out, institutions that are mandated to work must be made to work. If something happens and the president steps in, what do you think anybody can do. If all we hear is the BNI has taken over in a matter that is supposed to be investigated, it creates the impression that something is being covered,” she noted.
She further stressed efforts in fighting corruption must move from rhetoric to real action.
“If the SP (Special Prosecutor) office should bear any fruits in the fight against corruption…we should see actions other than the rhetoric. What have we seen as concrete action to fight against corruption? It is one thing to talk about what we are doing. Fighting corruption takes time. Translating the game as well takes a lot of time”
