Ghana’s anti-corruption efforts hurt by poor funding, IMF says

Ghana’s efforts to curb corruption are being “seriously compromised” by long-standing financial shortages and political interference across the country’s main accountability bodies, the IMF’s 2025 Governance Diagnostic Report has revealed. The Fund warns that the nation’s anti-corruption framework is close to collapse.

The review, conducted in September 2023, shows that crucial institutions — including the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) — frequently receive less than half of the funds approved for them by Parliament.

Because of this, the agencies charged with investigating graft, prosecuting financial crimes, protecting public assets, and safeguarding whistleblowers are left without the essential resources needed to operate effectively.

Although Parliament approves annual budgets, the IMF notes that the Ministry of Finance consistently releases far smaller amounts, leaving these institutions unable to hire adequate staff, conduct investigations, modernise systems, or pursue complex cases.

Even the OSP — created specifically to handle major corruption cases — must seek permission from the Ministry of Finance before recruiting or paying workers, a requirement the IMF describes as incompatible with true independence.

Beyond funding, the report points to a “disjointed, overlapping, and politically exposed” anti-corruption setup. According to the IMF, these structural flaws magnify the impact of underfunding and weaken the entire system.

The Fund identifies problematic overlaps between the OSP, EOCO, and CHRAJ, all of which investigate corruption but operate without clear rules for coordination. This redundancy, it argues, delays cases, breeds confusion, and enables political actors to take advantage of the gaps.

The Attorney-General’s constitutional control over all prosecutions further restricts the autonomy of EOCO and the OSP, whose prosecutorial powers remain limited in practice. The IMF cites the resignation of Ghana’s first Special Prosecutor and the forced exit of the Auditor-General as recent indications of political pressure.

Although the country has made progress in digital systems, access-to-information efforts, and procurement reforms, the IMF concludes that these improvements are overshadowed by fundamental institutional weaknesses. Ghana’s accountability bodies lack the independence, stable financing, and clear mandates required to properly enforce anti-corruption laws.

Without urgent reforms — including protected funding, streamlined roles, and stronger safeguards against political influence — the IMF warns that corruption will continue to deplete public funds, weaken investor trust, and endanger Ghana’s economic recovery.