Godfred Yeboah Dame, the attorney general and minister of justice, has insisted that even though Ghana’s ranking on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) has been unchanged for the past three years, the government has taken decisive action to combat corruption since taking office in 2017.
Ghana has placed 72nd in the 2022 edition of the CPI. The report, which was released on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, and announced by Transparency International (TI) saw Ghana score 43 out of a total of 100, a score it has maintained for the past 3 years.
Speaking to journalists for the first time since the publication of the report, Mr. Dame said that Ghana’s CPI will soon improve because the government is committed to combating corruption through the many institutional reforms it is putting in place.
“The effort to tackle corruption will only succeed if we understand the way corruption works. Corruption is mostly engaged in by government officials, businesses, Civil Society, the media, public servants, the church and virtually all members of the public. The system is in place for preventing and detecting corruption if it occurs. That must also be coupled with a strong mechanism for punishing crime.
“Since 2017, the government has focused on building a system for the prevention and detection of corruption. It has undertaken arguably the boldest initiatives since independence to reform and strengthens Ghana’s capacity to tackle corruption, especially in the public sector. Some of these bold initiatives are the Right to Information Act 2019, Witness Protection Act, 2018, the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2018, the amendment of the Criminal Offenses Act amongst others,” he said.
He emphasized that the institutional changes the government is implementing and the laws that have been passed and amended to help combat and control corruption are clear signs that the government is fighting the canker.
According to him, the financial empowerment of antigraft institutions like the Office of the Special Prosecutor, and the digitization of our Ports and Courts amongst hosts of digitization drive spearheaded by the government is proof that it is committed to rooting out corruption.
