Latest Afrobarometer survey report: Panellists call for measures to address issues of governance, corruption

A governance expert and two anti-corruption advocates have shared their opinions on the latest Afrobarometer survey report released by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), focusing on public trust in institutions, corruption and elections.

They are the Director of the Democracy Project, Dr John Osae-Kwapong; the Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Mary Awelana Addah, and the Co-chair of the Citizens Movement Against Corruption (CMAC), Edem Senanu.

Governance

Speaking at a panel discussion after the launch of the report in Accra last Friday, Dr Osae-Kwapong stressed the importance of making democracy work effectively in the country.

He noted that while Ghanaians accepted democracy, they were unhappy with how it functioned.

“We've made our peace with democracy, but we haven't made peace with how it's working,” Dr Osae-Kwapong noted, adding that “Thirty years into Ghana’s democratic journey, there was the need to focus on translating democratic values into everyday solutions.”

He noted that citizens supported democracy, parliamentary oversight and judicial checks on the executive.

However, he warned that dissatisfaction with democracy's effectiveness could lead to a preference for other governance systems.

He cited basic needs such as clean water, quality education and economic stability as essential for democracy's success, urging that corruption and everyday issues should be addressed to strengthen democracy.

Corruption

The Executive Director of the GII, Mrs Awelana Addah, for her part, called for robust whistleblower protection mechanisms and incentives to encourage citizens to report corruption.

She emphasised the challenges in promoting whistleblowing, citing difficulties in ensuring confidentiality and encouraging citizens to come forward.

She proposed the building of trust through secure reporting channels, raising awareness of existing platforms and mechanisms, establishing funds to reward whistleblowers, encouraging others to report corruption and civil society organisations working together to support whistleblowers as some of the measures to fight corruption.

Contributing to the discussion, Mr Senanu said Ghana's ongoing struggles with corruption and economic instability had raised concerns from citizens and experts alike.

He emphasised the gravity of these issues, highlighting the disconnect between government efforts and citizen experiences.

“Personal experiences of corruption are real, not just perceptions," Mr Senanu stressed.

He cited a recent report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime that indicated that 27 per cent of Ghanaian adults paid bribes, with some paying up to five times to buttress his point. 

Mr Senanu attributed these issues partly to Ghana's economic situation, where citizens are forced to prioritise feeding their families over-reporting corruption.

To address these challenges, Mr Senanu advocated the strengthening of institutions and ensuring that public sector representatives uphold integrity.

These, he said, must include effective enforcement to prevent exploitation and abuse of power, implementing systems to identify and penalise corrupt individuals, setting precedents to deter future offences, and enhancing legal frameworks among others, to combat corruption.

Key findings

Key among the findings of the survey indicated that popular support for elections as the method for choosing leaders has consistently remained high since 2002. However, over time, there has been an increase in the percentage who think other methods should be adopted.

It also revealed that trust in key state institutions/officials witnessed marginal declines compared to 2022 but major declines since 2012, while three-fourths (74 per cent) of Ghanaians say the level of corruption in the country increased “somewhat” or “a lot” over the past year, a three- percentage-point decline compared to 2022.

Among key public officials, the police, the Presidency, tax officials, MPs, judges and magistrates are most widely perceived as corrupt.

Again, only about a quarter (26 per cent) of Ghanaians believe that people can report corruption without fear of retaliation, a decline of four percentage points compared to 2022.