Because corruption has a detrimental effect on society as a whole, Nana Kwasi Agyekum-Dwamena, the head of the civil service, has urged Ghanaians to band together in the fight against it.
In an interview last week, he emphasized that while eliminating corruption was inhumanely difficult, Ghana should at most try to lessen its prevalence.
“These surveys give the public service a poor rating. It’s not just about the GRA or the Police, he emphasized; corruption results in mediocrity in the provision of services.
Agyekum-Dwamena stated that efforts to prevent and/or lessen the plague were being made by the civil service and other institutions, but that they needed to coordinate 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
Over 17.4 million bribes were paid in the same period, according to the first national poll, “Corruption in Ghana – people’s experiences and perceptions.”
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) worked together to conduct the study (UNODC).
It gathered factual data on the types of corruption affecting Ghana’s population from 15,000 households across the nation with adults ages 18 and older.
In order to inform appropriate policies to stop administrative corruption in the nation’s numerous public institutions, it is necessary to assess the prevalence of the issue and its prevalent typologies.
Apart from the cash payment, which contributed 84.8 percent of the forms of bribes paid, 13.3 percent of the bribes paid were food and drinks; 9.7 percent, exchange for other services; 5 percent for valuables, and 2.2 percent for animals.
The bribes were paid by 33.6 percent of citizens to speed up procedures; 15.8 percent, as a sign of appreciation; 13.8 percent, to avoid the payment of fine; 10.8 percent to avoid problems, and 3.1 percent, to avoid the cancellation of public utilities.
Ghana drops on Corruption Perception ranking
Ghana placed 73rd out of 180 nations in the Corruption Perception Index, CPI, report released on April 4 according to the 2021 edition of Transparency International’s annual corruption rating chart.
The report stated that Ghana’s present performance “remains below 50 which is the predicted average, so leaves much to be desired.”
Ghana and Senegal tied for ninth position out of 49 countries in Africa, each earning a score of 43.