Ghana's Budget Transparency Score Plunges to 22%

Ghana's Budget Transparency Score Drops Slightly Above 20 Percent, Raising Concerns

A recent report by the International Budget Partnership (IBP) has highlighted a significant decline in Ghana's budget transparency score. According to the 2025 Open Budget Survey, Ghana's transparency score dropped from 46 percent in 2023 to 22 percent in 2025, placing the country far below the Sub-Saharan African average of 38 percent.

The report attributes the decline in transparency to delays in publishing critical budget documents, including the Executive's Budget Proposal and the Citizens' Budget. It also cited the inconsistent release of In-Year Reports. The survey notes that Ghana, for instance, has delayed publishing the Executive's Budget Proposal and Citizens' Budget online, and also releases the In-Year Reports irregularly, often outside the scheduled timeframe.

Despite the decline in transparency, Ghana registered modest improvements in public participation and budget oversight. Ghana's public participation score increased from 17 percent in 2023 to 22 percent in 2025. Oversight by key state institutions also improved, with Ghana recording a score of 33 percent compared to 28 percent in the previous survey. Notably, this improvement suggests that Ghana is making efforts to address some of its governance issues.

The report further revealed that although audit oversight is improving, Ghana's fiscal accountability framework remains constrained by the absence of an independent fiscal institution capable of providing nonpartisan fiscal analysis. Parliamentary oversight of the budget process also remains weak. To reverse the trend, the report recommends that the government publish all key budget documents online in a timely manner, broaden parliamentary hearings to include civil society organizations, underrepresented groups, and the wider public, and create mechanisms that allow citizens to monitor budget implementation.

SEND GHANA, a policy research and advocacy organization focused on promoting good governance and gender equality, said it continues to work closely with the International Budget Partnership to advance fiscal governance reforms and improve budget accountability in Ghana. They emphasize that their continued efforts will focus on promoting greater transparency, accountability, and participation in the budget-making process.

The survey also calls for the establishment of an independent fiscal institution to provide impartial fiscal analysis and for Parliament to strengthen its oversight of budget preparation and implementation. It's worth noting that the current lack of an independent fiscal institution has severely limited the ability of Ghanaian citizens to analyze and scrutinize the government's budget.

Ghana's performance in budget transparency has been a subject of concern for years. In recent times, there have been efforts to improve the country's fiscal management and governance. However, the recent report suggests that more needs to be done to ensure transparency and accountability in the country's budget process. This lack of transparency undermines Ghana's ability to allocate resources effectively.

The International Budget Partnership (IBP) is an international non-governmental organization that promotes transparency and accountability in public budgeting. The organization conducts an annual survey to assess the openness and transparency of government budgets around the world. The survey is widely regarded as a benchmark for measuring budget transparency and accountability, and it provides invaluable insights into the budget-making processes of various countries.

The report also highlighted the importance of citizens and civil society organizations participating in the budget process. It noted that opportunities for public participation remain limited, and citizens and civil society groups are largely excluded from budget hearings and monitoring. This lack of participation limits their ability to hold policymakers accountable for their actions.

To reverse the trend, the report recommends that the government implement various measures to improve budget transparency, accountability, and public participation. Some of these recommendations include publishing all key budget documents online in a timely manner, broadening parliamentary hearings to include civil society organizations, underrepresented groups, and the wider public, and creating mechanisms that allow citizens to monitor budget implementation. The government will also need to prioritize transparency and accountability in the budget-making process.