Ghana’s budget transparency falls to record low in 2025 open budget survey

Ghana’s budget transparency score has dropped sharply from 46 points in 2023 to 22 points in 2025, marking the country’s lowest performance since it began participating in the Open Budget Survey.

Since 2015, Ghana’s scores in the biennial assessment have generally hovered around the 50-point range. However, the latest results show a significant decline, raising concerns about access to public financial information and accountability in the management of state resources.

The Open Budget Survey, now in its 10th edition and covering 82 countries, is an independent global assessment that evaluates the availability and quality of public budget information, as well as opportunities for citizen participation and oversight in the budget process.

Presenting the findings, Programme Officer at SEND Ghana, Mohammed Tajudeen Abdulai, attributed the decline largely to the failure to publish two key documents within the required timelines—the Executive Budget Proposal and the Citizens Budget.

He noted that out of eight essential budget documents assessed, only five were made publicly available during the review period, and just two met the required standards of comprehensiveness.

On budget oversight, Abdulai said institutions such as Parliament and the Audit Service recorded weak performance, contributing to Ghana’s score of 33 out of 100 in that category.

Despite the overall decline, he indicated that public participation improved significantly, rising from 3 points in 2023 to 22 points in 2025. This, he said, reflects modest progress in creating opportunities for citizens to engage in parts of the budget process.

Abdulai called for urgent reforms, including the timely publication of all key budget documents, expanded citizen engagement across the entire budget cycle, and the establishment of an Independent Fiscal Institution (IFI) to strengthen accountability and transparency.

“We need to publish key documents online and on time, ensure open participation at every stage of the budget process and strengthen independent oversight to sustain public confidence in government expenditure,” he said.

He further urged government to accelerate efforts to establish the proposed IFI, which would provide independent and non-partisan analysis to both the Executive and Parliament during budget preparation and review.

Contributing to a panel discussion on the report, former Deputy Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for Atiwa East, Abena Osei-Asare, emphasised the importance of timely publication of budget information to enable effective public scrutiny.

She also highlighted the need for stronger parliamentary oversight, stressing that improved public financial management requires collective responsibility to ensure that approved public funds are used efficiently and transparently.

The Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso, Stephen Amoah, also called for closer collaboration between Parliament and the Ministry of Finance to enhance data sharing, reporting, and citizen participation in the national budget process.

Prince Antwi

See Full Bio