Ghana’s performance in budget transparency has recorded a significant decline, according to the 2025 Open Budget Survey released by the International Budget Partnership (IBP).
The report shows that Ghana’s budget transparency score dropped from 46 percent in 2023 to 22 percent in 2025, placing the country well below the Sub-Saharan African average of 38 percent.
According to the survey, the decline weakens the ability of citizens and civil society organizations to engage with government spending decisions and hold public institutions accountable for the management of public resources.
The Open Budget Survey, which covers 82 countries, is regarded as the world’s only independent, comparative, and fact-based assessment of budget openness. The 2025 edition was conducted through independent expert assessments, peer reviews, and standardized scoring methodologies.
Despite the decline in transparency, Ghana registered modest improvements in public participation and budget oversight.
The country’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.
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.
“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 noted.
