Findings from the 2021 Ghana Integrity of Public Services Survey (GIPSS) have revealed that a greater proportion of adults in Ghana have more confidence in religious and traditional justice systems relative to the formal one.

This was contained in a statement from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) to mark International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD).

The release said, “7 out of every 10 Ghanaian adults believe that religious and traditional systems effectively protect citizens’ rights.”

On the contrary, only 59.1% of adults agree that the formal justice system effectively protects the rights of every citizen.

On the issue of corruption, the GSS said “three in every four (75.0%) adults think corruption increased in Ghana in the two years preceding the survey with about half (52.6%) thinking corruption increased due to COVID-19.”

It added that 45.1% of adults subscribe to improving living standards as a strategy to fight corruption while 41.2% believe that improving access to basic services for all is another strategy to fight corruption.

35.9% of adults hold the view that introducing an anonymous reporting system against corruption would help minimise the canker.

“Less than half (46.5%) of adults in Ghana are aware of the major anti-corruption agencies i.e. Office of the Special Prosecutor, the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), and the Organised Crime Office (EOCO),” the statement added.

Referencing the 2021 Ghana Integrity of Public Services Survey (GIPSS), the GSS noted that one in every three adults (32.6%) report that they do not feel safe walking around in their neighbourhood at night.

The findings of that report also indicated that a slightly higher proportion of people who report not feeling safe paid bribes in the past 12 months compared to those who feel safe.

“Three in every 10 (29.6%) adults who do not feel safe paid a bribe compared to 25.2% of those who feel safe.”