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Ms. Linda Ofori-Kwafo
The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) called for a modest celebration following Ghana's improved ranking in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI).
The condemnation of the Executive Director of GII came on the heels of Transparency International's (TI) publication of the 2018 Corruption Perception Index, which ranked Ghana 41 in front of 37 other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Benin 40, Swaziland 38 and Gambia 37. and Tanzania 36 on a ranking involving 180 countries.
Ghana's latest performance is one point higher than its previous performance of 40 in 2017.
However, Ms. Linda Ofori-kwafo maintains that although the improvement is positive, it is not good enough. Ghana can do better, she lamented.
"Transparency International (TI) says that all countries whose performance is below 50 are obviously not doing well, so we should not be too crazy.
We should rather try to go where other countries have good results, Seychelles and others have much better results, as Botswana and others have better results than Ghana. That's what we should aim for, "said the director of GII.
She also warned that everything must be done so that the country does not fall back in its current corruption score.
Speaking Monday at the Joy Super Morning Show, she said, "What we have to do as a country, is make sure we will not go back to our previous bad scores because in 2014, we managed to get 48 out of 100 ".
We should be able to contain these gains and even perform better in the years to come. If we are not able to do it, I'm not sure this program helps us in any way, "she told host Daniel Dadzie.
Possible reasons for improving Ghana's score
On Monday, Ghana's Integrity Initiative has, among other things, motivated the improvement of Ghana's CPI score.
In her view, "a number of factors, including the policies and initiatives of governments and state institutions implemented during the reporting period, may have contributed to this improvement.
Improving the performance of the audit department and the Auditor General in fulfilling their constitutional mandate and ensuring the protection of public funds could have had an impact on the CPI score. of 2018.
The clearance system for paperless ports as part of the Digital Inclusion Strategy and the establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor to Combat Corruption and Related Offenses, despite the growing challenges of the Office, would also have been addressed. an impact on Ghana's CPI score for 2018.
Ongoing reforms in the justice system, including efforts to promote high standards of integrity among judges, magistrates and judicial staff, as well as the online justice system, can not be ignored. "
Why Ghana could have done better
The statement adds that "despite Ghana's performance, GII is of the view that the country could have achieved better results if the allegations of corruption during the reporting period were investigated promptly, prosecuted and prosecuted. appropriate penalties for the culprits. "
GII recommends that: "The government must critically examine the elements that promote corruption in the public sector, including favoritism, nepotism, funding of secret political parties, suspicious links between politics and business, etc. because they affect the perception and experiences of stakeholders in the different surveys used to calculate the CPI. "
GII again urges Parliament to ensure that the Right to Information Bill (RTI) and the Bill on the Conduct of Public Officials become law as they are essential to promoting the transparency and integrity of the public sector necessary for the fight against terrorism. Corruption;
Finally, the government must adequately provide the necessary resources to enable state audit institutions to effectively carry out their tasks and facilitate the implementation of the National Action Plan to Combat Corruption (NACAP). ), as well as creating an enabling environment that guarantees security – the crusaders of corruption, including civil society organizations and journalists. "
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