Transparency International calls for stronger reforms after survey reveals increased public bribery demands

Transparency International Ghana has called for stronger reforms after a Ghana Statistical Service survey revealed a rise in public officials demanding bribes in 2025. Executive Director Mary Addah emphasized that the findings highlight the need for targeted institutional reforms rather than discouraging anti-corruption efforts.

The organization's long-standing concerns about bribery in public services were confirmed by the survey, which indicated that more than half of those who paid bribes in 2025 were directly asked to do so by officials. Despite an increase in bribery demands, Addah urged Ghanaians not to interpret the figures as a failure of the anti-corruption fight.

Instead, she called for the identification of gaps promoting bribery and implementation of measures to reduce those risks. Addah recommended corruption risk assessments, digitalisation of public services, strict enforcement of codes of conduct, and stronger integrity education for officials found in corrupt practices. The frequent monitoring of bribery through Ghana's monitoring of Sustainable Development Goal Indicator 16.5.1, conducted every six months, will help track trends and inform evidence-based anti-corruption policies.