ghana news The church against corruption: Well-meaning but ineffectual?

Denmark heads the 2025 Global Corruption Index (GCI): that is, it is rated the least corrupt country, scoring 100 out of 100. Highly religious Ghana scores 43 out of 100. Ghana is 76th out of 182 countries for ‘public sector corruption’.

Transparency International Ghana remarked in a press statement: ‘The score indicates that Ghana continues to struggle with persistent corruption, weak compliance with and enforcement of the legal and policy framework, and weak state institutions dedicated to combating corruption’.

Corruption: Comparing ‘secular’ Denmark with ‘religious’ Ghana

While Denmark is a highly secular country — with 70 per cent of Danes self-identifying as Christian and the vast majority registered as members of the state-supported Evangelical Lutheran Church (Folkekirken) – active participation is low: only three per cent regularly attend church.

Ghana is a highly religious country. More than 70 per cent of Ghanaians self-identify as Christians and 80 per cent claim they attend church at least once a week.

This active participation positions the country among the most religious globally. 

Denmark is routinely rated as among the least corrupt countries, enjoying low levels of inequality and high standards of living.

This situation persists despite the country having some very wealthy people who could, as in the American system, easily buy politicians and engage in regulatory capture to consolidate their markets.

Ghana, a country where public sector corruption is prominent, has high levels of inequality and low standards of living.

Ghana has some very wealthy people who could ‘buy’ politicians.  

Public sector corruption

Why is public sector corruption a prominent — and apparently irradicable — feature of Ghana’s national life?

It is the result of a complex interplay of post-colonial structural weaknesses, a ‘winner-takes-all’ political culture, and weak institutional oversight.

Public sector corruption thrives in a context of limited accountability in public procurement, where elites’ theft of state resources for private accumulation is routine. 

President Mahama pledged to ‘deal with’ high-level corruption through the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative. He ordered several entities – including the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, the Office of the Special Prosecutor, the Economic and Organised Crime Office, and the Criminal Investigation Department — to handle ORAL investigations.

Top officials from the former government are to be investigated, signalling the end of the inter-party ‘non-aggression pact’. This is an informal understanding between senior figures in the two main political parties not to pursue ‘grand’ corruption cases after a change in government.

The end of the ‘non-aggression pact’ is an attempt to bolster public trust in anti-graft efforts, including ORAL.

As of February 2026, ORAL has transitioned from a fact-finding mission to a review of dockets for potential prosecution, identifying billions of dollars in potential recoveries. Yet, there is public scepticism about whether ORAL has teeth, and criticism regarding its pace and legality.

The church and corruption

The release of the 2025 Global Corruption Index coincides with much public commentary by Ghana’s churches about the scourge of corruption.

Leaders of Ghana’s churches routinely issue strong statements condemning corruption, framing its elimination as necessary to remove moral decay while advocating national repentance. 

The church not only proclaims that the Bible frowns on both givers and receivers of the act of corruption but also cautions that corruption brings calamity to society, notably in the administration of justice.

Christian leaders propose that the state establish anti-corruption policies with teeth and urge the prosecution of persons found guilty of the act. 

Church leaders strongly condemn citizens’ involvement in the act of corruption.

Many urge the state to establish strong and viable anti-corruption policies, including the prosecution of the guilty.

Critics say this is all very well – but what is the church doing about corruption within its own ranks?

There is a need, at the very least, to intensify teachings on the links between (im)morality and corruption. 

Church anti-corruption statements are no doubt well-meaning, but face criticism regarding perceived lack of effective action taken by the church itself to eliminate corruption within its own ranks.

Key issues include misappropriation of church funds by leaders, commercialisation of gospel messages, acceptance of donations from suspected corrupt politicians, and failure of the Clergy to strongly condemn public corruption.

While many churches in Ghana focus on their spiritual mission, these documented issues highlight a significant, well-recognised problem of unethical practices within some, particularly newer, charismatic and independent church structures. 

The church is a recognised stakeholder in governance.

It has every right to condemn corruption.

Its suggested measures to tackle it are well-meaning.

But much of the corruption in the country must be undertaken by Christians, including high-level public servants, as many hold senior public sector positions.

It appears to be a case of

Christian on Sunday only and related teachings forgotten during the working week.

Until Christians exhibit Christian morality 24/7, the country will not overcome the scourge of public corruption. 

The writer is an Emeritus Professor of Politics, London Metropolitan University, UK