Bribery Declines, but Informal Payments Still Burden Ghanaian Businesses
Bribery in Ghana is decreasing, but informal payments continue to impose significant hidden costs on businesses, according to new data from the Ghana Statistical Service’s Governance Series Wave 2.
The report shows that the rate of direct bribery has fallen from 18.4 percent to 14.3 percent, and requests for unofficial payments by public officials have dropped sharply from 51.3 percent to 38.6 percent. However, voluntary or “appreciation” payments have nearly doubled, rising to 32.9 percent.
For the private sector, the findings present a mixed picture. While explicit demands for bribes appear to be declining, many firms still encounter an entrenched expectation that services will move faster or more smoothly if “something small” is offered.
These informal payments, often modest in size with more than half below GH¢100, remain common and recurrent. They typically occur in areas where businesses interact frequently with state institutions, including licensing, regulatory inspections, utility connections, and other administrative services.
As a result, businesses continue to face hidden costs in routine compliance, even when outright bribery is not involved.
The report notes that such informal transactions undermine predictability in public service delivery. Because these payments are discretionary and unofficial, businesses cannot reliably anticipate approval timelines or the consistency of administrative processes. This unpredictability contributes to delays, uneven standards, and opaque operational expenses.
Although each payment may be small, their cumulative effect, especially for businesses that regularly engage with regulators is significant. The increase in voluntary payments, the report suggests, points not only to a cultural shift but also to a persistent economic burden on the private sector.
