Ghana has placed 72nd in the 2022 edition of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).

The report was released on Tuesday, January 31.

The results announced by Transparency International (TI) saw Ghana score 43 out of a total of 100.

This means Ghana has not made any progress on the CPI score of 43 for the past three years.

CPI Score relates to perceptions of the degree of corruption and ranges between 100 (highly clean) and 0 (highly corrupt).

The press release highlighted the need to address the canker as “corruption is a major contributor to the country’s current economic woes as evinced by several reports including that of the Auditor General’s report on Government of Ghana’s COVID-19 expenditure.”

Chairperson for Transparency International, Delia Ferreira Rubio, described corruption as a phenomenon that “has made our world a more dangerous place.”

“As governments have collectively failed to make progress against it, they fuel the current rise in violence and conflict – and endanger people everywhere. The only way out is for states to do the hard work, rooting out corruption at all levels to ensure governments work for all people, not just an elite few,” he added.

Generally, Denmark (90) tops the index this year, with Finland and New Zealand following closely, both with a score of 87.

The least-performing countries are Somalia (12), Syria (13) and South Sudan (13).

They are all enveloped in protracted conflicts. Years of violence and war have decimated resources and left them vulnerable to corruption, leaving governments essentially incapable of making any progress.