A survey conducted by Ghana’s Statistical Service has found that the majority of the citizens have more trust in religious and traditional justice systems than the formally established ones.
This discovery was contained in the 2021 Ghana Integrity of Public Services Survey (GIPSS) released by the Ghanaian Statistical Service.
According to the survey report, 69.9% of Ghanaians, representing seven in every ten adults interviewed said they have more confidence in the traditional and religious justice systems.
“Findings from the 2021 Ghana Integrity of Public Services Survey (GIPSS) reveal that a greater proportion of adults in Ghana have more confidence in religious and traditional justice systems relative to the formal one. Seven in every 10 (69.9%) adults hold the view that the religious and traditional leaders’ system effectively protects the rights of every citizen, a figure that is 10.8 percentage points higher than those who agree that the formal justice system effectively protects the rights of every citizen (59.1%),” the GSS said in a statement.
In the same report, about half of the people surveyed representing 52.6 percent think corruption increased due to COVID-19.
“Three in every four, representing 75.0 percent of adults think corruption increased in Ghana in the two years preceding the survey with about half, representing 52.6 percent thinking corruption increased due to COVID-19.”
“The most frequently selected strategies for fighting corruption are improving living standards (45.1% of adults), improving the access to basic services for all (41.2% of adults), and introducing an anonymous reporting system against corruption (35.9% of adults).
“Less than half (46.5%) of adults in Ghana are aware of the major anti-corruption agencies i.e. Office of the Special Prosecutor, the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), and the Organised Crime Office (EOCO),” the GSS said.
The findings also indicate that one in every three adults (32.6%) report that they do not feel safe walking around in their neighbourhood at night.
