The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame has maintained that, despite Ghana’s stagnation on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for the past three years, the government has taken bold steps to curb and combat the country’s proclivity for corruption since taking office in 2017.
Ghana has been ranked 72nd in the CPI 2022. The report, released on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, and announced by Transparency International (TI), gave Ghana a score of 43 out of a possible 100, a score it has held for the past three years.
However, in his first interview with journalists since the report’s release, Mr. Dame stated that the government is committed to fighting corruption through the numerous institutional reforms it is implementing, and that Ghana’s CPI will improve in no time.
“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, and the amendment of the Criminal Offenses Act amongst others,” he said.
He emphasized that the government’s fight against the canker is visible in the institutional reforms it is implementing, as well as the passage and amendment of laws that will help combat and curb corruption.
According to him, the financial empowerment of anti-corruption institutions such as the Office of the Special Prosecutor, as well as the digitization of our ports and courts, are proof that the government is committed to rooting out corruption.
