‘It’s only in heaven you can eradicate corruption, we have to reduce it’ – Head of Civil Service

GSS, partners release maiden corruption report

Ghana drops on 2021 Corruption Perception Index

Government serially accused of failing to fight corruption

Nana Kwasi Agyekum-Dwamena, Head of Civil Service has charged Ghanaians to unite in the fight against corruption because of its negative impact on society at large.

He stressed in an interview last week that eradicating corruption

Read full articlewas humanly impossible but that the best Ghana could do was to reduce the incidence of corruption.

“The way these surveys rate the public service is not good. Corruption leads to mediocrity in terms of service delivery, so it’s not about GRA or Police or anybody, it’s about everybody,” he stressed.

Agyekum-Dwamena said the civil service and other institutions were putting in place measures to prevent and or reduce the scourge and needed to consolidate their efforts.

“So, like we’ve been saying, let’s rather prevent corruption, put in place systems, civil service and implicated institutions doing their best.

“I think it’s only in heaven you can eradicate corruption, but we have to work to reduce it. Other countries have done (it), Finland, Norway, Singapore, Malaysia, they have reduced it. They will not eradicate but they’ve reduced it and that is what we must do as a country,” he stressed.

About the Corruption in Ghana survey – GNA report

The maiden national survey, titled: “Corruption in Ghana – people’s experiences and views” also disclosed that more than 17.4 million bribes were paid in the same period. 

The survey was conducted by the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in collaboration with the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). 

It collected evidence-based information from 15,000 households across the country involving people who were 18 years and older on the forms of corruption affecting the population of Ghana. 

This is to determine the prevalence of the situation and its prevailing typologies, give benchmark indicators that can be used to inform relevant policies to curb administrative corruption in various public institutions in the country. 

Apart from the cash payment, which contributed 84.8 per cent of the forms of bribe paid, 13.3 per cent of the bribes paid were food and drinks; 9.7 per cent, exchange for other services; 5 per cent valuables, and 2.2 per cent animals. 

The bribes were paid by 33.6 per cent citizens to speed up procedures; 15.8 per cent, as a sign of appreciation; 13.8 per cent, to avoid the payment of fine; 10.8 per cent to avoid problems, and 3.1 per cent, to avoid the cancellation of public utilities.

Ghana drops on Corruption Perception ranking

According to the 2021 edition of the annual corruption ranking chart by Transparency International, Ghana ranked 73rd out of 180 countries on the Corruption Perception Index, CPI, report released on April 4.

“Ghana’s current performance is still below 50 which is the expected average, thus leaves much to be desired,” the report noted.

Out of 49 African countries ranked, Ghana placed 9th with Senegal, each bagging a score of 43.

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SARA