A recent survey conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has highlighted that a significant percentage of adults who interacted with public officials in Ghana were subjected to bribery, indicating a pressing issue within the country’s public institutions.
The survey disclosed that over 80% of adults in Ghana had contact with public officials in 2021, and the majority interacted with these officials on multiple occasions, illustrating the widespread nature of these interactions.
Notably, 26.7% of Ghana’s adult population paid a bribe to a public official during 2021 or were asked to do so but refused. These bribery incidents amounted to an average of five bribes per person in 2021.
In total, more than 17.4 million bribes were paid within the year, underscoring the extent of administrative corruption in Ghana. Younger individuals, particularly those aged between 25 and 34, were found to be more likely to pay bribes than their older counterparts. This age group had the highest prevalence of bribery at 29.9%.
The prevalence of bribery gradually declined with age, reaching 17.6% among those aged 65 and above. Among the youngest adult age group, 18 to 24-year-olds, the prevalence was 23.9%.
Moreover, the survey identified that individuals with higher levels of education were more susceptible to bribery. Those with master’s or bachelor’s degrees were 1.7 times more likely to be asked to pay a bribe or to have paid one, compared to individuals with no formal education. Specifically, people with a master’s or bachelor’s degree had a bribery prevalence of 40.6%, significantly higher than those without formal education.
This report reveals the substantial issue of bribery within Ghana’s public sector and underscores the need for comprehensive efforts to address and curb this problem.
It indicates that administrative corruption remains a pressing concern, affecting various segments of the population.
Source: EVANS EFFAH