Press Statement for Immediate Release
Liberia Makes Marginal Progress by Moving 2 Points Up the CPI Ladder, But the Government Must Implement Drastic Reforms to End Impunity for Corruption as the Country lingers among the worst decliners on the Index.
Monrovia, Tuesday, February 11, 2025
The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) is pleased to release the findings of Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2024, focusing on how corruption is undermining global, regional, and national climate actions. Since 1995, the Corruption Perception Index has been scoring and ranking countries based on how corrupt their public sectors are perceived, according to experts and business executives. The score 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, based on the views of experts. In 2024, 180 Countries were targeted, just as in 2023.
The CPI draws upon 13 data sources, which capture the assessment of experts and business executives on several corrupt behaviors in the public sector. These corrupt practices and behaviors include bribery, diversion of public funds and supplies, use of public office for private gain, procurement irregularities, state capture, and nepotism in the civil service. Also, some sources assess mechanisms available to prevent and address corruption in a country. Examples include the government’s ability to enforce integrity mechanisms; financial, logistical, and moral support to anti-graft institutions; independence and viability of anti-graft institutions; the effective prosecution of corrupt officials and others accused of corruption; conflict of interest prevention; access to information; freedom of speech and the media; and legal protection for human rights defenders and anti-corruption campaigners, whistleblowers, witnesses, journalists, and investigators.
Liberia’s Score and Performance:
Liberia is ranked 141/180 among countries covered by CPI 2024, compared to 145/180 in 2023. For the first time in 7 years, Liberia moved 2 points up the CPI ladder, from a score of 25 in 2023 to 27 in 2024. Despite the fact that this latest ranking shows marginal progress in the new administration’s anti-corruption efforts, much work still needs to be done, as the country has remained one of the biggest global decliners since 2014, dropping by 10 points. The country’s performance on the CPI has been hugely disappointing, cementing her position among the worst performers on the content and the sub-region. This is corroborated by CENTAL’s 2023 State of Corruption Reports, which reveal that 90% of Liberians think the Corruption level is high in the country, with low citizens’ confidence in the executive branch of government to tackle the problem.
CENTAL is deeply concerned over Liberia’s consistently poor performance, especially her place among the world’s Worst Decliners. Even though we acknowledge the 2-point increase under the first year of the Boakai-Koung-led government, we caution against complacency, as immunity for corruption remains high. While President Boakai has acted to suspend and dismiss some officials accused of corruption, he has failed to do likewise for others, giving an indication of partiality in his anti-graft efforts. We hold the view that the President’s move to declare and publish his assets, incomes, and liabilities is laudable, but his gross failure to punish his non-compliant officials raises questions about his ability to fully match his anti-corruption commitments with deeds.
Regional Highlights and Trends:
On the regional front, the report found that Saharan Africa’s systemic corruption is severely undermining climate action and other accountability efforts. The region has once again registered the lowest average score globally: 33 out of 100, well below the global average of 43. African countries desperately need vast amounts of climate finance to implement their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) – the climate action plans submitted to the United Nations (UN). Climate action faces a significant threat from corruption in the region, including through misappropriation, theft, misallocation, and poor oversight. This highlights the need for robust mechanisms to ensure that funds allocated to climate projects and other interventions benefit communities that are desperately dependent on them. In the region, countries suffering the worst effects of the climate crisis, including Equatorial Guinea (13), Eritrea (13), Somalia (9) and South Sudan (8), also rank among the most corrupt.
The Sub-Saharan Africa average is 33, the lowest in the world. The highest-scoring countries in the region are Seychelles (72), Cabo Verde (62), Botswana (57) and Rwanda (57). Notable improvements include Cote d’Ivoire (45), up 10 points since 2019, Seychelles (72), up 20 points since 2012, making it the biggest global improver, and Tanzania (41), up 10 points since 2014. The sharpest declines were seen in Lesotho (37), down 12 points since 2014, and Eswatini (27), down 16 points since 2014. Gabon and Liberia (both 27) have fallen 10 points since 2014.
Global Highlights:
Published today by Transparency International, The CPI 2024 draws attention to ending impunity for corruption, especially in climate action and governance. CPI 2024 alarms over entrenched corruption related to climate action, which undermines efforts to address the negative impacts of climate change globally, especially on poor and marginalized communities and populations.
Globally, of the 180 countries targeted, 32 countries improved, 47 countries declined and 101 countries stayed the same. Also, in terms of the types of government, 24 countries with full democracies obtained an average score of 73; 50 countries with flawed democracies obtained a score of 47; while 95 non-democratic countries obtained an average score of 33 for 95. The global average remains unchanged at a score of 43 out of 100 for the 13th year in sequence. For the seventh year in a row, Denmark heads the ranking, with a score of 90. Finland and Singapore take the second and third spots, with scores of 88 and 84, respectively. Scoring 83, New Zealand is out of the top three positions for the first time since 2012, but it remains in the top 10, together with Luxembourg (81), Norway (81), Switzerland (81), Sweden (80), the Netherlands (78), Australia (77), Iceland (77) and Ireland (77).
Meanwhile, countries experiencing conflict or with highly restricted freedoms and weak democratic institutions occupy the bottom of the index. South Sudan (8), Somalia (9) and Venezuela (10) take the last three spots. Syria (12), Equatorial Guinea (13), Eritrea (13), Libya (13), Yemen (13), Nicaragua (14), Sudan (15), and North Korea (15) complete the list of lowest scorers in 2024.
The highest scoring region is Western Europe and the European Union with an average score of 64, although it declined by 1 point from 65 in 2023. The lowest scoring region is Sub-Saharan Africa with an average of 33. The 33-average score of Sub-Saharan Africa shows an unending worrisome picture of inaction against corruption in the region, as governments are doing very little to safeguard climate resources and match their fine promises with tangible actions to end the culture of impunity for corruption and bad governance.
Although no country is free of corruption, countries topping the CPI have full democracies and share characteristics of open government, press freedom, strong parliament/legislature, civil liberties, and independent judiciary. Meanwhile, countries at the bottom are characterized by widespread impunity for corruption; poor governance; weak parliament and oversight bodies, and poorly supported and underperforming anti-graft institutions, among others.
Recommendations:
Based on the findings of the 2024 CPI report, we think that significant improvement in the fight against corruption is possible but only when “business as usual” in the fight becomes an issue of the past, as promised by President Boakai and his administration. Like other countries that are registering remarkable progress, Liberia can climb the CPI ladder and outperform other countries. However, this can be achieved if the national government’s fight against corruption is sincere, holistic, impartial, and well-funded.
Hence, as emphasized by Maíra Martini, Chief Executive Officer of Transparency International, “Urgent action is needed worldwide, particularly in Liberia, to root out corruption that undermines climate action through theft, misuse of funds, and undue influence. Governments and development partners must embed anti-corruption measures in climate efforts to protect funding and rebuild trust. Only by tackling corruption head-on can we unlock the full power of climate action and accelerate the fight for our planet, our future.”
Regarding other corruption issues, we urge President Boakai to timely and impartially implement reports and recommendations of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, General Auditing Commission, governance and anti-corruption-focused civil society organizations, advocates, and campaigners. In other words, officials of government and others accused of corruption should be investigated and where necessary suspended, dismissed, and prosecuted to end the culture of impunity and send a stronger message about commitment against corruption.
Finally, we applaud individual citizens, journalists, activists, and other groups and individuals who have been vocal against corruption and bad governance in Liberia, especially over the past months and years. We encourage more demands for transparency and accountability from the Government, especially from President Boakai with the greatest responsibility to shape the country's anti-corruption efforts in the right direction.
Signed:
Anderson Miamen,
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