President Nana Akufo-Addo has said Ghana’s poor ranking on the latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI) was “largely” influenced by corruption claims in the past regime.
He said the Transparency International’s 2017 CPI, which shows a sharp drop in the performance from 2016, is an indication of the “enormity of the task ahead.”
Ghana has been ranked 81st out of 180 countries in the latest CPI, scoring 40 marks out of 100. It represented three points drop from its performance in 2016, which was 43.
The 2017 index has revealed more than two-thirds of the countries studied scored below 50, with an average score of 43. Only two countries – New Zealand and Denmark – were ranked highest, with scores of 89 and 88 respectively.
Country 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 Region
81 Ghana 40 43 47 48 46 45 Sub Saharan Africa
81 India 40 40 38 38 36 36 Asia Pacific
81 Morocco 40 37 36 39 37 37 Middle East and North Africa
81 Turkey 40 41 42 45 50 49 Europe and Central Asia
85 Argentina 39 36 32 34 34 35 Americas
85 Benin 39 36 37 39 36 36 Sub Saharan Africa
85 Kosovo 39 36 33 33 33 34 Europe and Central Asia
85 Kuwait 39 41 49 44 43 44 Middle East and North Africa
Comparing the latest results with the previous ones, the Berlin-based organisation said the “poor performance is nothing new.”
Transparency International observed African countries that performed poorly on the index are led by leaders that run for office on an anti-corruption ticket but failed to “live up to their pledges.”
But the release of the CPI results has sparked a debate with members of both the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) accusing each other, for the poor ranking.
Some government officials have said the drop in the ranking was caused by corruption perception in the ex-president John Mahama regime.
But in the first year of President Akufo-Addo’s government, various corruption allegations were levelled against some of his appointees, a development he claimed was an attempt by his critics to undermine his administration.
Mr Amidu with president Akufo-Addo and Veep Dr Bawumia after swearing in
Speaking during the swearing in of Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu Friday, the President said corruption claims in the past regime and not his government are, largely to blame for the poor CPI ranking.
“The recent publication of Ghana’s score in the 2017 Corruption Perception Index, organised by Transparency International, showing a further drop in our standing, a result largely based on ‘the plethora of corruption allegations/exposés’ before the onset of this administration, indicates the enormity of the task ahead,” he said.
He has asked Ghanaians to support the former Attorney-General to discharge his duties without fear or favour.
“The Special Prosecutor cannot do it all by himself. He requires the active co-operation of all the institutions of our state, as well as that of the general public, if he is to be successful in the fight against corruption,” he said.
Source:graphic.com.gh