CORRUPTION IN GHANA

1
2 Presentation Outline
 Definition and Context
 Forms of Corruption
 Current State of Corruption in Ghana
 Effects on Corruption
 Current Perception of Corruption in Ghana
 Fighting Corruption and Living a corruption Free Life
3 Corruption

 Corruption is the offering, giving, soliciting or acceptance of an inducement or reward

which may influence the action of any person to behave dishonestly (Bourn, 2007).
 According to the Transparency International (2009), corruption is the abuse of entrusted
power for private gain.
 There are several forms of corruptions in Ghana.
 These includes bribery, nepotism, extortion and embezzlement
4 Bribery

 Bribery is when something intended to improperly influence mostly to alter a person’s

performance of his/her functions in manner that a reasonable person would find
unacceptable.
 It is not limited to cash or other forms of payment/fees/commission or financial benefit.
Gifts, favours, donations, confidential information, sponsorship and invitations to
events/hospitality/entertainment can also constitute a bribe.
 The intention is to take advantage of the bribe giving.
5 Nepotism

 Nepotism is playing professional favourites with family members in business, corporation

or politics.
 It exists when one uses a position of power or authority to influence the hiring or
promotion process of spouse, partner, sibling, child or other relative
6 Extortion

 Extortion is a crime in which one person attempts to force another person to do something
against his will.
 Extortion is used to force the victim to give property or money to the perpetrator, or to take
some action, such as giving someone a promotion, or voting for something.
 This is done by threatening the victim’s property, person, or loved ones with harm, by
intimidating the victim, or by falsely claiming a right.
7 Embezzlement

 Embezzlement refers to a form of white collar crime in which a person or entity

intentionally misappropriates the assets entrusted to them
 Embezzlement takes place when a person intentionally uses funds for a different purpose
than they were intended to be used.
 Ponzi schemes are an example of embezzlement. Others include destroying employee
records or pocketing company cash.
8 Current State of Corruption in Ghana

 Globally, Ghana ranks 72nd with a score of 43% in the latest corruption perception
index (Transparency International, 2022).
9 Current State of Corruption in Ghana (Cont’d)

 Corruption is prevalent at every level of government (Legislature, Executive and Judiciary)

and in every sector of the economy: medical, forestry, agricultural, education, etc
(Agbodohu and Churchill, 1999).
 Example of Corruption Case in Ghana include:
• Woyome’s Case- GHS 51.2 million
• Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) saga-
GHS 2 million
• National Service Ghost Names GHS 86.9 million
• NLA Scandal- GHS 1 million
10

• 500 missing excavator scandal

• Zongo Development Scandal- GhS 5 million
• 200 different cases of Premix fuel diversion
• GHS 40,000 bribery scandal in 2018
• Agyapa scandal
• PDS scandal
• Cash for Seat
• BOST Contaminated Fuel
• GRA Scandal
• Contract for Sale
• Police Service
11 Effects of Corruption

“When public money is stolen for private gain, it means fewer resources to build schools,
hospitals, roads and water treatment facilities. When foreign aid is diverted into private bank
accounts, major infrastructure projects come to a halt. Corruption enables fake or substandard
medicines to be dumped on the market, and hazardous waste to be dumped in landfill sites and
in oceans. The vulnerable suffer first and worst” (Ban Ki Moon, 2009).
12 Fighting Corruption

 Leadership- for proper house cleaning and repairs, it is a good idea to begin by fixing the
roof.
 Credibility- States must be able to prosecute perpetrators of corrupt to serve as deterrent to
others.
 Participation- All citizens must be willing to root out corruption at all level.
 Responsible Press- to gather, analyse, organize, present and disseminate information is
vital to create greater public awareness and to provide the momentum for undertaking
reforms to overcome corruption.
 Institutional Reforms- improving the legal framework; promoting the efficiency of the
police service, etc.
13 Conclusion

 Corruption is abusing power for personal gains.

 Bribery is just one of the numerous forms of corruption.
 It poses a great challenge to economic development.
 You have a key role to play in curbing corruption by reporting saboteurs.