Ghana Launches New Anti-Corruption Strategy Group as CPI Rankings Fall
Ghana’s Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, has inaugurated a new working group to develop the country’s second National Anti-Corruption Strategy, aimed at tackling persistent corruption across both public and private sectors. Speaking at a ceremony at the Presidency in Accra on July 3, Mr. Debrah reaffirmed President John Dramani Mahama’s commitment to enhancing transparency and accountability in his current term, following the precedent set with the first National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP) passed in 2014.
Mr. Debrah highlighted notable achievements under the original NACAP, such as heightened public awareness of corruption and increased use of whistleblower reporting channels. He also cited progress in digitizing financial services, improving port operations, and the formation of the Financial Stability Council—making Ghana the second country in sub-Saharan Africa, after Mauritius, to establish such a body. Additionally, strides were made in curbing workplace sexual harassment and strengthening laws against money laundering and terrorist financing.
Despite these gains, the Chief of Staff voiced concern over Ghana’s recent decline on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, which fell from 48% in 2014 to 42% in 2024. “We have to reverse this trend,” he emphasized, tasking the newly formed group with crafting a strategy that responds effectively to the challenge. The group has been directed to rethink key components of the previous NACAP and adopt a more sophisticated, tech-driven approach involving legislative reforms, institutional autonomy, and stronger ethical foundations.
The Office of the Presidential Advisor on the National Anti-Corruption Programme (PANACP), in collaboration with key agencies such as the Office of the Special Prosecutor, CHRAJ, and the Attorney General’s Department, will lead coordination efforts. Prof. Francis Dodoo, Presidential Advisor on PANACP, hailed the initiative as a bold step to entrench integrity and ethical governance. A draft of the new strategy is expected by August 31, 2025.
