Liberia’s corruption rating is worrisome, and President Joseph Boakai must not miss this opportunity to reposition the country on the path of transparency and accountability.

Development Diaries reports that the West African country declined by a point from its 2022 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranking by Transparency International (TI), indicating a poor performance in its fight against corruption.

Zooming out from this recent score, Liberia has declined by seven points from its 2018 score of 32.

Liberia is the only country in West Africa and the Mano River Union that has declined by seven points over the last six years.

The CPI score, which is based on how corrupt a county’s public sectors are perceived, ranges from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean), where 0 equals the highest level of perceived public sector corruption and 100 equals the lowest level of perceived public sector corruption.

In its response to the latest ranking, the Centre for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) said it is deeply concerned over the country’s consistently poor performance, especially its place among the Worst Decliners globally.

‘This year’s poor result shows the scale of the problem the Boakai-led administration is inheriting’, CENTAL’s Executive Director, Anderson Maimen, said in a statement.

‘On the other hand, it is a test of his anti-corruption credentials–whether bold commitments being made will be matched by visible concrete actions to end impunity for corruption, reverse the decline, and take Liberia up the CPI ladder’.

Recall that President Boakai, during his inaugural speech, promised to fight corruption and strengthen institutions. Development Diaries therefore calls on the president to take immediate action aimed at fulfilling his promises.

Source: The NewDawn

Photo source: United Nations