Ghana’s position on the global Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) has inched upward, moving from a score of 42 to 43 in the 2025 rankings. Transparency International announced the update in a press release issued on February 10. According to the report, Ghana’s 2025 CPI score of 43 out of 100 places the country 76th among 182 nations assessed. The findings highlight ongoing struggles with entrenched corruption, weak enforcement of laws and policies, and fragile state institutions tasked with combating graft.
The country had maintained a score of 43 since 2020 before slipping to 42 in 2024. While the latest increase restores Ghana to its earlier level, Transparency International cautioned that the change is not considered statistically significant under CPI methodology. The GII noted that Ghana’s highest CPI score was in 2014, at 48 out of 100. Since then, the country has continued a downward trajectory until 2018, when the exuberance of a new government gave Ghanaians a fresh lease of hope, leading to an improvement from 40 in 2017 to 41 in 2018 and 2019. Since then, Ghana’s CPI has hovered around 43 out of 100.
Transparency International’s data underscores that, despite numerous policy interventions and institutional reforms, Ghana continues to face major obstacles in effectively combating corruption. In response to the country’s declining CPI ranking, the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) has outlined several recommendations aimed at strengthening governance, including legislative, judicial, and executive reforms.
Transparency International specifically urged Ghana to “strengthen justice systems, protect their independence and welcome the Chief Justice’s decision to fast-track the creation of the anti-corruption courts, which will aid the expeditious adjudication of corruption-related cases.” The organization also called for a broader cultural shift, emphasizing ethics and integrity—citing, for example, the Inspector-General of Police’s campaign to promote officers who demonstrate honesty in the line of duty.
Source: Kabah Atawoge
