Budget transparency rating plummets to 22% - Report

Ghana’s budget transparency score has nosedived from 46 percent in 2023 to 22 percent in the latest Open Budget Survey, placing the country well below the sub-Saharan African average of 38 percent.

According to a press release by SEND Ghana, this triggers concerns about public accountability in the management of state resources.

The 2025 Open Budget Survey, released by the International Budget Partnership (IBP) in collaboration with SEND Ghana, evaluates 82 countries on budget transparency, public participation and oversight.

The survey stated that the nation’s sharp decline in transparency – the most heavily weighted component – means citizens and civil society have far less information to scrutinise how public funds are raised and spent.

According to the survey, which relied on independent expert assessments and peer reviews, Ghana lost ground because of delays in publishing budget documents. These documents are considered essential for real-time tracking of government expenditure, it noted.

“A score of 22 percent means government is providing scant information,” the report noted, adding that lack of timely data “undermines the ability of parliament, media and ordinary citizens to hold the executive accountable”.

While transparency plummeted, Ghana recorded slight improvements in the two other parameters measured. The public participation score rose from 17 percent in 2023 to 22 percent in 2025, reflecting a modest expansion of consultation opportunities.

However, the survey observed that these remain limited: citizens and civil society groups are still largely excluded from budget hearings and systematic monitoring of project implementation.

Ghana’s budget oversight rating also rose from 28 percent in 2023 to 33 percent in 2025. According to the survey, this improvement is a result of more frequent audit-related engagements.

However, it stressed that oversight remains weak – noting Ghana still lacks an independent fiscal institution to provide nonpartisan analysis and parliamentary scrutiny of budget preparation and execution continues to fall short.

SEND Ghana reiterated its call for urgent reforms to prevent further erosion of fiscal transparency. To restore transparency, deepen citizen participation and strengthen oversight, the Open Budget Survey recommended that government publishes all eight key budget documents online in a timely manner and maintain consistent release of In-Year Reports.

It urged the state to expand parliamentary budget hearings to include civil society, underrepresented communities and the general public and establish mechanisms that allow them to monitor budget implementation directly.

The survey also recommended an independent fiscal institution be set up to provide impartial budget analysis and strengthen parliament’s capacity to oversee both budget preparation and execution.

The 2025 survey covers 82 countries and remains the only independent, comparative, fact-based instrument for assessing budget openness globally.

SEND Ghana, which collaborated on the Ghana assessment, reiterated its call for urgent reforms to prevent further erosion of fiscal transparency.