Dr John Osae-Kwapong, a fellow at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), has advised the government to take urgent steps to address the issue of distrust by Ghanaians in some public institutions including the judiciary.
It comes on the back of the latest Afrobarometer survey conducted by CDD-Ghana, which cited the Ghana Police Service and the Office of the President as most perceived corrupt public institutions.
The key findings of the report showed that the perceptions of corruption among public officials and public institutions have increased in 2022 compared to 2019.
Among key public officials, the police, the presidency, MPs, judges, magistrates and tax officials are most widely perceived as corrupt.
According to the survey, more than three-fourths representing 77% of Ghanaians say the level of corruption in the country increased “somewhat” or “a lot” over the past year, a 24-percentage-point jump compared to 2019.
Taking measures
Speaking on the findings with Kwaku Nhyira-Addo on The Asaase Breakfast Show on Thursday (28 July), Osae-Kwapong said the government must take steps to tackle corruption in Ghana.
“Why are Ghanaians beginning to feel the way that they are now in terms of the governance of the country and the developmental trajectory? These must all be addressed lest things derail,” the CDD-Ghana fellow said.
“It is essential that public opinion is heeded because there are repercussions to forgoing public opinion and it will not bode well. The government is the people.
“The government needs to pay attention to the level of corruption in the system and the growing sense of distrust by the people in our judicial system. The government must sit up,” Osae-Kwapong said.
