The IMF has warned that chronic under-funding and political interference are crippling Ghana’s anti-corruption institutions, leaving the system dange
The IMF has warned that chronic under-funding and political interference are crippling Ghana’s anti-corruption institutions, leaving the system dangerously close to collapse.
According to the 2025 IMF Governance Diagnostic Report, Ghana’s key accountability agencies are being “severely weakened” by inadequate financing and undue political influence. The assessment, conducted in September 2023, found that institutions such as the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), the Economic and Organized 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.
As a result, agencies responsible for investigating corruption, prosecuting financial crimes, safeguarding public resources and protecting whistleblowers lack the basic tools required to operate effectively.
While Parliament approves annual budgets, the IMF notes that actual disbursements from the Ministry of Finance routinely fall short. This chronic under-release of funds has left institutions unable to recruit staff, conduct investigations, upgrade technology or pursue specialized cases.
The report also raises concerns about restrictions on the OSP’s autonomy. Despite being created to handle high-profile corruption cases, the office must still obtain clearance from the Ministry of Finance before hiring or paying personnel — a practice the IMF says is incompatible with operational independence.
Beyond financial constraints, the IMF warns that Ghana’s anti-corruption framework is fragmented, overlapping and vulnerable to political manipulation. Overlaps in the investigative mandates of the OSP, EOCO and CHRAJ — without clear coordination protocols — create delays, confusion and loopholes that can be exploited by political actors.
The report further points to the Attorney-General’s constitutional control over all prosecutions as a structural limitation, arguing that it weakens the effective independence of both EOCO and the OSP. Citing the resignation of the first Special Prosecutor and the removal of the Auditor-General, the IMF highlights recent examples of political pressure undermining accountability efforts.
Despite progress in digitization, access-to-information reforms and procurement systems, the IMF concludes that these gains are overshadowed by deep institutional weaknesses. Accountability institutions, it says, lack the independence, financing and clarity of mandate needed to enforce Ghana’s anti-corruption laws.
The Fund warns that without urgent reforms — including guaranteed funding, clearer institutional roles and protection from political interference — corruption will continue to drain public resources, weaken investor confidence and threaten the country’s economic recovery.