Lands Commission Is Now The Top Bribe-Taking Institution In Ghana, Police Is Last But Three

Data from the United Nations (UN) has showed the top bribe-taking institutions in Ghana after a study it conducted in the country for 2021.

According to the data, the institution that takes bribes in Ghana the most is the Lands Commission; an agency under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resource, with an average bribe size of 1669.

The commission was followed by the judicial system – prosecutors, judges and magistrates – which recorded an average bribe size of 1,204.

Officials of the Ghana Immigration Service were 3rd on the list of top bribe-taking public officials in Ghana, with 950 average bribe size.

Local government representatives came 4th; GRA customs officers, 5th; Passport agency officials, 6th; teachers, lecturers and professors, 7th; public utility officials, 8th; doctors, nurses and midwives, 9th and officials of Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, 10th.

The survey also disclosed that most of these institutions take bribes or request for them in 70 to 97 per cent of the public services they offer.

Also, the Oti Region was the region that had the most requests for bribes with public officers taking or asking for bribes in over 91 per cent of their duties; followed by Northern Region (89.2%), Upper East (83.4%); North East (81.2%); Upper West (80.3%) and Ashanti (70.4%).

A vice president of IMANI Africa, Bright Simons, who shared portions of the survey on Twitter, on Sunday, August 13, 2023, stated that the UN data showed that “Teachers and professors in Ghana are the most polished when taking bribes; they tend to avoid cash the most”.