Accra: Civil society organisations (CSOs) and the media played a dominant role in Ghana’s anti-corruption landscape in 2024. They provided investigative oversight, public education, and citizen mobilisation, the State of Corruption Report 2024 published by the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) stated.
According to Ghana News Agency, the report highlights the critical contributions of CSOs such as the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), the African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), and the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), as well as key investigative journalism platforms like The Fourth Estate and Corruption Watch. These groups, GACC stated, served as the eyes and ears of the public by exposing wrongdoing, tracking public spending, and demanding accountability.
In 2024, media investigations led to several high-profile revelations, including a controversial procurement contract between the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML). The expos©, published by The Fourth Estate, prompted a presidential directive for a full audit, which led to the cancellation, suspension, or amendment of portions of the contract. ‘This is a clear demonstration of the power of watchdog journalism,’ the GACC noted.
Another major investigation uncovered irregularities in the award of a contract to Busy Internet under the ‘Free Wi-Fi for Schools’ initiative by the Ghana Education Service. Questions were raised about the transparency of the procurement process and whether the company had proper clearance to contract with the government. The report indicated a potential conflict of interest and a lack of value for money.
Corruption Watch also made headlines in 2024 with its expos© on the abuse of incumbency during the election year. The platform documented the use of state vehicles and other public resources by the ruling party’s presidential candidate during the campaign, sparking debate about enforcement gaps in Ghana’s electoral laws.
Meanwhile, civil society leaders continued to engage citizens directly. GACC, in collaboration with ACEP and GII, trained over 100 media personnel to interpret audit reports and advocate for reforms. They also empowered over 130 Local Accountability Network (LANet) members to monitor public projects and compliance with anti-corruption standards at the district level.
Public education remained central to their efforts, GACC noted, adding that during the International Anti-Corruption Day, the coalition and its partners reached over 14,000 people across 14 regions with messages about the dangers of corruption, and on the African Union Anti-Corruption Day, more than 27,000 students were engaged in civic activities, and 20,000 first-time voters were educated on electoral fraud and their rights.
Through a partnership project titled Monitoring Campaign Spending, Abuse of Incumbency, and Vote Buying, the coalition of GACC, CDD-Ghana, and GII trained 120 observers nationwide to track political finance abuses. This initiative also involved public forums and media campaigns to raise awareness about the rising cost of politics and the urgent need for campaign finance reform.
A simplified anti-corruption election guide, produced by the ACEP-GII-GACC partnership, broke down the anti-corruption promises in political party manifestos; it aimed at equipping citizens with the knowledge to assess candidates’ commitments critically and hold them accountable post-election.
Despite these successes, the GACC report identifies serious challenges facing civil society and media actors, spanning from inadequate funding, shrinking civic space, occasional political intimidation, and weak collaboration from some state agencies. ‘Non-state actors are doing more with less-but this cannot continue without structural support.’
The GACC called for increased support and protection for journalists and CSOs engaged in anti-corruption work, recommending the creation of a private fund to support investigative journalists who face legal or physical threats. ‘The fight against corruption cannot be won by state institutions alone. A vibrant civil society and fearless media are indispensable pillars of accountability,’ it stressed.