Covering over 50 public institutions and 5,640 respondents, the report shows that the proportion of citizens who admitted to giving gifts or money to public officials decreased from 18.4 per cent to 14.3 per cent.

However, the report—which was conducted between January and June this year—indicates that the Motor Traffic and Transport Division (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service, along with nine other state institutions, remains the most frequently associated with gifts or bribes. Even so, the proportion fell from 61 per cent to 51.9 per cent.

The other institutions cited include Police General Duties, Passport Office, Traffic Management Authority, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Births and Deaths Registry, Forestry Commission, Food and Drugs Authority, DVLA, and the Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Speaking at the report launch in Accra yesterday to mark Africa Statistics Day, the Government Statistician, Dr Alhassan Iddrisu, said the Governance Wave Series Report covers bribery and corruption, responsiveness, and inclusiveness of governance. He noted that findings from Wave Two confirm a continued decline in bribery prevalence.

The event was themed “Leveraging Innovations in Data and Statistics to Promote a Just, Peaceful, Inclusive and Prosperous Society for Africans.”

Dr Iddrisu observed that although fewer people engaged in gift-giving, a higher proportion of those who did offered such gifts repeatedly. The share of respondents who gave gifts five or more times surged from 6.9 per cent to 24 per cent.

He added that money remained the dominant form of gift, with more than half of respondents giving GH¢100 or less. Direct requests for gifts dropped from 51.3 per cent to 38.6 per cent, while voluntary appreciation gifts nearly doubled—from 17.6 per cent in Wave One to 32.9 per cent. Reporting of bribery to both official and non-official structures also declined.

On governance, the Government Statistician noted that the proportion of Ghanaians who felt the political system allowed ordinary citizens to have a say rose significantly from 54.8 per cent in Wave One to 68.4 per cent.

Chairing the programme, the Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Dr Joseph Whittal, described the report as “wonderful,” praising it for providing solid evidence to combat corruption.

He added that Civil Society Organisations could rely on the report’s findings for policy advocacy and urged government to use the data to help craft more effective anti-corruption strategies.