'Bribery is a culture problem, not a salary problem' - Kofi Bentil

Kofi Bentil, Senior lawyer and Vice President of IMANI Africa, argued on Saturday, August 8, on JoyNews' Newsfile, that Ghana's persistent bribery problem cannot simply be blamed on the salaries of public officials. He stated, "We have generated a culture of bribery and it's not about people's salary. It's a culture of bribery."

Mr. Bentil described bribery as a culture embedded in the delivery of government services and said reducing it will require more than increasing salaries. He identified the depersonalisation of government services as a practical way to tackle bribery, explaining that many opportunities arise from direct interactions between citizens and officials. Removing unnecessary face-to-face interactions through digital systems would make it more difficult for officials to demand or solicit unofficial payments. His comments come amid growing concerns over bribery in Ghana's public institutions, with the Ghana Police Service, particularly the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), identified as the institution most frequently associated with bribery.