Ghana’s CPI Score Stagnates at 43 in 2025 as Anti-Corruption Efforts Show Limited Impact
Ghana has recorded a Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) score of 43 out of 100 for 2025, ranking 76th out of 182 countries assessed, highlighting persistent weaknesses in the country’s anti-corruption framework and enforcement regime, according to Transparency International (TI).
The latest score reflects a marginal improvement from 42 in 2024 but remains unchanged from Ghana’s score since 2020, a development which TI notes does not amount to a statistically significant shift under the CPI methodology. The index suggests that corruption remains entrenched, underpinned by weak compliance with legal and policy frameworks and fragile state institutions mandated to fight graft.
Historically, Ghana’s strongest CPI performance was in 2014 when it scored 48. Since then, the country experienced a steady decline until 2018, when renewed public optimism following a change in government supported a modest rebound from 40 in 2017 to 41 in 2018 and 2019. That momentum has since stalled, with scores hovering around 43 in recent years.
Transparency International’s analysis indicates that countries which record sustained CPI improvements typically demonstrate consistent political commitment and wide-ranging institutional reforms. Conversely, stagnation or decline is often associated with weakened democratic checks and balances, politicisation of justice systems, and shrinking civic space. Full democracies, TI observes, tend to perform better on the index, while non-democratic regimes post the weakest outcomes.
Despite some steps in 2025 to enhance transparency in corruption investigations and prosecutions, including actions by the Office of the Special Prosecutor, TI Ghana argues that recent developments have undermined public confidence. These include the dismissal of a former Chief Justice, petitions seeking the removal of heads of independent institutions, and the discontinuation of certain corruption cases involving members of the ruling government through negotiated settlements, which raised concerns about politicisation and executive influence.
Commenting on the global context, Transparency International Board Chair, François Valérian, stressed the need for both domestic action and multilateral cooperation to safeguard accountability. He warned that growing disregard for international norms threatens a rules-based global order anchored in transparency, citizen accountability, and respect for human rights.
Globally, the 2025 CPI points to a deteriorating anti-corruption environment. The global average score fell to 42, the lowest in over a decade, while the number of countries scoring above 80 declined sharply to five. More than two-thirds of countries assessed scored below 50, underscoring widespread governance challenges.
Sub-Saharan Africa remains the lowest-performing region, with an average score of 32 compared to the global average of 42. TI notes that corruption in public financial management and weak political integrity continue to weigh heavily on the region’s performance, with limited evidence that current reforms are delivering meaningful results.
In response, TI Ghana has renewed calls for comprehensive reforms, including strengthening judicial independence, fast-tracking the establishment of specialised anti-corruption courts, accelerating the passage of the Community Tribunal Bill, and adopting the National Ethics and Anti-Corruption Plan. Additional recommendations focus on reforming political party financing, promoting ethical business practices, safeguarding civic space and media freedom, and enhancing awareness of anti-money laundering obligations among designated non-financial businesses and professions.
Transparency International emphasised that the CPI should be viewed as an early warning signal rather than a definitive verdict. However, it cautioned that Ghana’s 2025 performance reflects enduring gaps in enforcement, accountability, and institutional effectiveness, which will require sustained political will and measurable reforms to reverse over time
