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Majority of Ghanaians not confident in govt protecting country’s financial resources -CDD survey

MAJORITY of Ghanaians are not confident in the ability of the government to protect the country’s financial resources and curb corruption, a 2020 post-election survey by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) Ghana has revealed.

Out of 2,400 respondents engaged nationwide, 62 per cent said they were not confident that the government could check corruption and impunity by its officials while 53 per cent doubted that the government could protect the country’s financial resources by promoting accountability in the public service.

Asked if the corruption fight by the government could get better or worse by the end of the second term, 47 per cent said it would get worse, 30 per cent held the view it would get better while 21 per cent said it would remain the same.

The findings of the survey disseminated   in Accra on Tuesday, said respondents were, however, split in their opinion on the government’s ability to ensure that rule of law was upheld.

Conducted between May 23 and June 3, 2021, the survey aimed at gauging citizens’ post-election expectation and views on local government and decentralisation issues.

In a presentation , the CDD-Ghana  Director  of Research, Dr Edem Selormey, said within the same four-year period, 60 per cent of the respondents were expecting the government to change the manner in which it dealt with corruption allegations levelled against officials and appointees.

Corruption, she said, was however, the 11th issue Ghanaians wanted the government to pay attention to on a list of 25 issues topped by unemployment, infrastructure/roads and education, management of the economy and health.

Dr Selormey  said confidence in the government’s ability to fulfill its 2020 manifesto promise was mixed as  majority (56 per cent) of the respondents of the survey were confident that the government could consolidate the free Senior High School programme, they were equally split (48 per cent on either side) on the pledge to expand electricity to entire population.

She said the survey showed that 47 per cent of respondents doubted that the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCES) could be elected on party lines whereas 57 per cent were not confident that the one district one factory initiative could be expanded nationwide.

According to her, Ghanaians were nearly equally split in their confidence in the government’s ability to consolidate the gains made in the planting/rearing for food and job programmes in the next four years, but the majority expressed lack of confidence in the government’s ability to expand the one million dollar per constituency initiative.

Reacting to findings on corruption, the 2020 Campaign Manager of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Peter Mac Manu who was at the event, said more clarity was needed on the data although he believed that the government was on track in dealing with corruption issues.

“If you look at the hullabaloo people are talking about and you look at the survey results, you will be amazed. If you look at what people are saying it means that there is so much propaganda than the actual work that is going on”, he told journalists.

BY JONATHAN DONKOR

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