The Government Statistician, Dr Alhassan Iddrisu, has said the nation is making measurable progress in improving governance, with fewer citizens paying bribes and more people feeling included in public decision-making, but warned that the gains remain fragile and must be sustained.

Launching the Governance Series Wave 3 Report in Accra last Tuesday, Dr Iddrisu said the findings reflected the everyday experiences of Ghanaians in accessing public services and underscored the need for stronger institutions to promote transparency, accountability, and inclusive governance.

He said the report tracked the experiences of the same respondents across all 16 regions and measured whether they were asked to pay unofficial fees for public services and whether they felt their voices influenced decisions affecting their lives.

Dr Iddrisu said 69 out of every 100 Ghanaians who interacted with public officials during the second half of 2025 reported being asked to pay something extra for services to which they were already entitled.

He described the finding as more than a statistic, saying it represented the experiences of citizens at health facilities, police checkpoints, passport offices, and other public service delivery points.

"The Governance Series is more than a report. It is a mirror of how citizens are treated, a compass for reform and a catalyst for stronger institutions and better governance," he said.

Mixed picture

Despite that finding, the Government Statistician said the overall trend for 2025 was encouraging.

He explained that the proportion of Ghanaians who had contact with public officials increased from 56 per cent in 2024 to 72 per cent in 2025, representing about 1.6 million additional interactions, yet the proportion that paid bribes declined from 18.4 per cent to 16.8 per cent.

He added that payments exceeding GH¢1,000 fell by almost half, from 14.7 per cent to 7.6 per cent.

Dr Iddrisu also said repeated bribery was becoming less common, with the proportion of respondents who paid bribes five or more times falling sharply from 24 percent in Wave 2 to less than four percent in Wave 3.

He said more citizens were refusing to pay bribes, with refusals increasing from 3.0 per cent to 4.9 per cent, indicating growing public confidence to reject illegal demands.

Although the police, particularly the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), remained the institution with the highest reported bribery incidence, he said the rate improved from 61 percent in 2024 to 53.6 percent in 2025, showing that targeted interventions could make a difference.

Citizen voice

Dr Iddrisu said the report also recorded significant progress in citizen participation.

He said the proportion of Ghanaians who felt they had no say in decisions affecting their lives declined from 42 percent in 2024 to 30 percent in 2025, although young people, the elderly, and the unemployed still felt least heard.

He explained that the findings showed that governance reforms were producing results, but progress remained vulnerable to reversal, making it necessary to continue measuring governance indicators every six months.

Call

Dr Iddrisu said findings from the previous report had already prompted engagements with public institutions identified as high-risk, leading to commitments to strengthen integrity systems.

He urged the government to digitise public services, publish official fees, protect citizens who refuse to pay bribes, improve transparency in public decision-making, and deliberately include vulnerable groups in governance.

Dr Iddrisu further urged the government to integrate the findings into national planning and budgeting.

He also called on businesses to insist on official payment channels while urging citizens to report bribery. He further encouraged civil society organisations and the media to use the report to promote accountability and strengthen democratic governance.