Ghana’s reputation for fiscal openness has suffered a major setback after the country recorded a sharp decline in its latest Open Budget Survey performance, raising fresh concerns over transparency, accountability, and citizens’ ability to track public spending.
The latest assessment by the International Budget Partnership (IBP) shows that Ghana’s budget transparency score dropped dramatically from 46 percent in 2023 to just 22 percent in 2025, placing the country far below the Sub-Saharan African average of 38 percent.
A MAJOR WARNING SIGN FOR PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY
The decline has triggered concerns among governance experts and civil society groups, who warn that limited access to budget information could make it harder for citizens, journalists, and institutions to scrutinise how public funds are managed.
The survey indicates that delays in publishing key financial documents — including the Executive’s Budget Proposal, Citizens’ Budget, and some In-Year Reports — contributed significantly to Ghana’s poor transparency rating.
CITIZENS LEFT WITH FEWER TOOLS TO MONITOR GOVERNMENT SPENDING
The report suggests that reduced access to timely budget information weakens public participation in national financial decisions and limits the ability of citizens and civil society organisations to demand accountability from government.
For a country that has long promoted democratic governance and institutional accountability, the decline has renewed debate about whether enough is being done to ensure openness in the management of state resources.
SOME IMPROVEMENTS, BUT QUESTIONS REMAIN
Despite the fall in transparency, Ghana recorded slight improvements in other areas. Public participation increased from 17 percent in 2023 to 22 percent in 2025, while budget oversight by key institutions improved from 28 percent to 33 percent.
However, analysts say the gains are not enough to offset the wider concerns about access to information and public involvement in the budget process.
CALLS FOR URGENT REFORMS
The findings have renewed calls for government to publish budget documents on time, expand citizen involvement in budget discussions, strengthen parliamentary oversight, and improve systems that allow the public to monitor government expenditure.
As Ghana continues its democratic journey, the latest Open Budget Survey score serves as a powerful reminder: without transparency, public trust in financial governance remains at risk.
