The Executive Director of Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), the local chapter of Transparency International (TI), Linda Ofori-Kwafo, says government’s prudent management of the economy in the last few years is a major contributor to the successful fight waged by the state against the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Speaking on The Asaase Breakfast Show with Nana Yaa Mensah, to throw more light on the 2020 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) report, Ofori-Kwafo said government’s emergency response and investment in the health sector since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has been possible due to the efficient management of the country’s economy.
She, however, noted that what remains outstanding is the issue of accountability to reduce cases of corruption.
The CPI released on 28 January 2021 by Transparency International “scored Ghana 43 out of a possible clean score of 100 and ranked the country 75 out of180 countries/territories included in this year’s index.”
This CPI score indicates that Ghana gained two points compared to its 2019 score of 41. Ghana’s score also exceeds the Sub-Saharan African average score of 32 and is equal to the global average score of 43. The TI 2020 CPI scores and ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption.
The CPI draws upon 13 data sources which capture the assessment of experts and business executives on a number of corrupt behaviours in the public sector. It uses a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
According to the CPI statement, the 2020 CPI focuses on the relationship between corruption and emergency responses. Corruption Transparency International says poses a critical threat to citizens’ lives and livelihoods, especially when combined with a public health emergency. The 2020 CPI according to (TI) reveals that, persistent corruption is undermining health care systems and contributing to democratic backsliding amid the COVID-19 pandemic. TI says countries that perform well on the index invested more in health care and were better able to provide universal health coverage and less likely to violate democratic norms and institutions or the rule of law.
“It is important to note that, eighty per cent (80%) of the countries that significantly have improved their CPI scores since 2012 also have the percentage of their health expenditure to GDP above five per cent (5%),” the CPI statement further stated.
“The above correlation applies in the case of Ghana as the World Bank’s report on the average percentage of health expenditure to GDP1 between 2000-2018 shows that, the nine (9) SSA countries that performed better than Ghana in the 2020 CPI also spend higher on health (between 9.5 – 4.0 percent of GDP) as compared to Ghana’s 3.9 percent of GDP. Though in Ghana, Government’s measures at managing the pandemic and its related impact in 2020 was generally commendable, still outstanding is the issue of accountability,” it added.
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