Corruption In Ghana Is Worse - Poll

The Chief Executive of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Mr. Daniel Batidam, has in a thought-provoking lecture last Tuesday revealed the results of a GII Urban (Household) Corruption Survey conducted in Accra, Takoradi and Kumasi in March/April this year.

The results? Hold your breath... "An overwhelming majority (over 90%) of respondents in all four cities agrees strongly or at least agrees with the statement that corruption is rife in Ghana today. They also think that the problem of corruption is severe in the urban cities.

Asked whether corruption is getting better or worse, the majority of respondents (over 60%) said it is worse or much worse whilst a smaller number of respondents (36%) said it was much better or better.

The GII chief executive also stated, the more recent energy commission saga remains a litmus test of present administration's commitment to lead the anti graft project and to either prove their critics wrong or reinforce current perceptions of widespread institutional corruption within the higher echelons of today's public service.

He also criticized the inability of past and present governments for their inability to publish, periodically a list of blacklisted contractors.

On the IFC/CNTCI loans, he asked, "who were those behind these loan transactions and were any government funds involved in the pursuit of the futile adventure?"