Ghana’s natural resource and governance sectors has come under fresh national scrutiny as a broad alliance of civil society organisations (CSOs) has released the country’s first-ever consolidated CSOs’ Scorecard evaluating the Government’s performance in its first year in office.
The assessment, unveiled by Mr. Samuel Bekoe of the Center for Extractives and Development, Africa (CEDA), brought together five coalitions and nine CSOs working across mining, petroleum, climate change, energy transition, environment, forestry, and anti-corruption.
According to the Scorecard, government has made satisfactory progress in four out of five thematic areas — meeting or surpassing the expected 25 percent first-year implementation benchmark derived from a four-year governance cycle. The only exception is anti-corruption, where performance fell below target.
Mining Sector Leads Performance
Data presented at the launch showed that:
- Mining recorded the highest progress with 37.50% completion and an overall project score of 1.13, reflecting more decisive actions in policy implementation and regulatory engagement.
- Environment and Forestry followed with 30.21%, while Upstream & Downstream Petroleum and Climate Change & Energy Transition recorded 26.85% and 25.60% respectively all marginally above the acceptable threshold.
- Anti-corruption, however, trailed at 23.04%, making it the only thematic area where government fell short of expected first-year delivery.
Mr. Bekoe described the assessment as “a mirror, not of political rhetoric, but of evidence, policy tracking, and verifiable action.”
A Tool for Accountability, Not an Indictment
The CSOs, made up of the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), CEDA, the UK Ghana Gold Programme, Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) among others stressed that the Scorecard is not designed to attack government, but to guide implementation, highlight bottlenecks and strengthen accountability in sectors vital to Ghana’s economic and environmental future.
“Ghana has never lacked ambitious promises,” Mr. Bekoe noted. “What we often lack is consistent follow-through and transparent implementation. This scorecard allows citizens to track not just what is promised, but what is delivered.”
The report consolidates nearly a year of monitoring, including reviews of budget allocations, institutional actions, regulatory directives, community engagements, stakeholder interviews and policy outcomes across more than 60 manifesto commitments.
Anti-Corruption: The Area of Most Concern
While commending government for registering early gains in extractives, climate action and environmental management, the CSOs expressed concern that the anti-corruption commitments risk falling behind schedule.
They warned that delayed implementation could affect the full realization of reforms by 2028.
“The government must put in more effort in meeting its anti-corruption commitments,” the statement stressed. “Any lag in this area could have wide implications for governance credibility, investor confidence and public trust.”
Call for Collaborative Action
The Alliance urged government to receive the findings “seriously, not defensively,” and to:
- Engage openly on areas where progress is slow
- Strengthen transparency, enforcement and monitoring systems
- Ensure consistent follow-through on reform timelines
- Allow data, rather than politics, to guide decision-making
CSOs pledged to continue playing their watchdog role constructively — offering technical insights, maintaining evidence-based engagement and supporting reforms that benefit citizens.
A National Conversation Begins
The Scorecard is expected to trigger wide debate among policymakers, industry leaders and governance advocates as Ghana navigates complex choices around resource management, environmental sustainability, energy transition and institutional accountability.
“A nation that measures its progress is a nation that is moving forward,” Mr. Bekoe said. “And a government that welcomes scrutiny is a government confident in its mandate.”
For now, the message from civil society is clear: the first-year trajectory is encouraging, but sustained effort, especially on anti-corruption is essential if government is to fulfill its commitments by the end of its term.
