The Ghana Integrity of Public Services Survey (GIPSS) has revealed that Ghana lost approximately GHC5 billion in cash through the payment of bribes to public officials in 2021.
The maiden national survey dubbed: “Corruption in Ghana – people’s experiences and views,” conducted by the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in collaboration with the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) indicated that bribes were paid by citizens for various purposes.
Giving further details the survey said that 33.6 per cent citizens to speed up procedures; 15.8 per cent, as a sign of appreciation; 13.8 per cent, to avoid the payment of fine; 10.8 per cent to avoid problems, and 3.1 per cent, to avoid the cancellation of public utilities.
It further indicated that apart from the cash payment, which contributed 84.8 per cent of the forms of bribe paid, 13.3 per cent of the bribes paid were food and drinks; 9.7 per cent, exchange for other services; 5 per cent valuables, and 2.2 per cent animals.
In spite of measures instituted by successive governments to curtail corruption, the canker is still prevalent in the country.
The report revealed that the Ghana Police Service, Immigration Service and the custom officers of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) were the three top institutions that received bribes.
The three were followed by the Lands Commission, Driver and Vehicle Licencing Authority (DVLA), Passport Agency officials, and prosecutors, judges and magistrates, with elected government officials being the least recipients.
Also Government Statistician, Professor Samuel Kobina Annim, who was speaking at the launch of the report, more than a quarter of the country’s adult population (26.7 per cent) paid bribes to a public official in 2021.
He also mentioned that most of the bribes were paid at the direct request of the public officials involved, as six out of 10 bribes paid (59.4 per cent) were directly requested by those officials.
About the report
The aim of the report was to ascertain the prevalence of corruption and, give benchmark indicators that can be used to inform relevant policies to curb administrative corruption in various public institutions in the country.
It collected evidence-based information from 15,000 households across the country involving people who were 18 years and older on the forms of corruption affecting the population of Ghana.
Source: The Independent Ghana