The latest Afrobarometer report by the Center for Democratic Development (CDD) has revealed a historic decline in public trust in Ghanaian institutions, with citizens expressing deep concerns over the integrity of state entities, including the Electoral Commission’s ability to conduct free, fair, and transparent elections.
This comprehensive report, launched on Friday, October 25, by CDD Ghana’s Director of Research, Dr. Edem Selormey, underscores a steep drop in citizens’ confidence across several democratic institutions since 2012, persisting despite changes in government. “Trust in key state institutions and officials has shown only marginal declines since 2022 but reflects a major drop from 2012 levels,” Dr. Selormey noted.
According to the report, public trust has eroded significantly in institutions such as the judiciary, tax authorities, the presidency, and Parliament, with particular skepticism directed toward officials perceived as corrupt. “Three-fourths (74%) of Ghanaians say corruption levels increased ‘somewhat’ or ‘a lot’ over the past year,” Dr. Selormey highlighted, noting a slight improvement of 3% compared to last year’s figures.
The findings indicate that a mere 26% of Ghanaians believe they can report corruption without fear of retaliation—a 4% decline from 2022, underscoring an environment where citizens feel reluctant to challenge misconduct.
Police, the presidency, tax officials, Members of Parliament, judges, and magistrates were ranked as the most corrupt officials. Despite this, Afrobarometer data shows that 60% of citizens consider the 2020 general election “completely free and fair” or “free and fair with minor problems,” reflecting some level of confidence in electoral integrity.
The CDD’s findings raise pressing questions about institutional accountability ahead of the 2024 elections, urging a renewed focus on building trust to ensure a transparent electoral process.