Ghana’s Budget Transparency Score Drops to 22% in 2025
Ghana’s budget transparency performance has suffered a major setback, with the country’s score dropping significantly in the 2025 Open Budget Survey, raising fresh concerns about fiscal openness and public accountability.
The latest survey, released by the International Budget Partnership (IBP), shows that Ghana’s budget transparency score declined from 46 percent in 2023 to 22 percent in 2025. The figure places Ghana substantially below the Sub-Saharan African average of 38 percent.
The report warns that the decline could weaken citizens’ ability to participate in budget decision-making and reduce opportunities for civil society organizations to hold public institutions accountable for the management of public resources.
The Open Budget Survey, which assessed 82 countries, is recognized as the world’s only independent, comparative and evidence-based measure of budget transparency, public participation and oversight. The 2025 edition was conducted through independent expert assessments, peer reviews and standardized scoring methodologies.
Despite the decline in transparency, Ghana recorded modest gains in other areas of fiscal governance. The country’s public participation score improved from 17 percent in 2023 to 22 percent in 2025, while oversight by key state institutions increased from 28 percent to 33 percent.
According to the survey, the sharp fall in transparency was largely driven by delays in the publication of critical budget documents. These included the Executive’s Budget Proposal and the Citizens’ Budget, as well as the inconsistent release of In-Year Reports.
“For Ghana, the report highlights a delay in publishing the Executive’s Budget Proposal and Citizens’ Budget online, and the inconsistent release of the In-Year Reports,” the survey stated.
Although some public consultations and audit-related engagements were undertaken during the review period, the report found that opportunities for meaningful citizen participation in the budget process remain limited.
“The opportunities for public participation remain limited as citizens and civil society groups are largely excluded from budget hearings and monitoring,” the report noted.
The survey further observed that while audit oversight is gradually improving, Ghana’s broader fiscal accountability framework remains constrained by the absence of an independent fiscal institution capable of providing non-partisan fiscal analysis. Parliamentary oversight of budget preparation and implementation was also identified as an area requiring significant improvement.
To reverse the decline, the report recommends the timely online publication of all key budget documents, expanded parliamentary hearings that include civil society organizations, underrepresented groups and the general public, and the establishment of mechanisms that allow citizens to monitor budget implementation.
The survey also advocates the creation of an independent fiscal institution to provide impartial fiscal analysis and support evidence-based policymaking, while urging Parliament to strengthen its oversight role throughout the budget cycle.
Meanwhile, SEND Ghana, a policy research and advocacy organization focused on promoting good governance and gender equality, reaffirmed its commitment to advancing fiscal governance reforms and improving budget accountability in collaboration with the International Budget Partnership.
The findings add to growing calls for greater transparency and citizen engagement in Ghana’s public financial management system as the country seeks to strengthen accountability and rebuild public confidence in the management of state resources.
