Two ministries that Ghana’s traders, farmers and commuters depend on every day have landed at the bottom of a new government performance ranking. The Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry came last among 23 ministries, with 48.08 percent.
The Ministry of Transport, which oversees the movement of goods and services, hence moves the economy, placed 22nd with 49.6 percent.
They were the only two ministries to fall below the 50 percent mark in the Index of Government Institutions’ Performance Towards Economic Prosperity (IGIPTEP), developed by the Africa Centre for Entrepreneurship and Youth Empowerment (ACEYE) with Atlas Network.
The other 21 ministries scored above 50 percent.
The Irony
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The irony is hard to miss of the performance of the two critical ministries is hard to miss. Trade moves money. Transport moves goods and people. Both sit at the centre of how Ghana earns, exports and gets to work.
Yet an index built to the assesses the contribution to economic prosperity using various indicators placed them at the foot of the table, with fewer than two points between them. Ghanaians feel both ministries daily, at the port, on the road and in the market.
The Transport Ministry: Strength & Weaknesses
The Transport Ministry got credit for port dredging, efforts to clear container backlogs, more buses, rail developments, wider licensing services, an air passenger grievance portal and a Right to Information manual. Its best scores were in money management, at 66.67 percent, and service delivery quality, at 64 percent.
But it scored 40 percent for transparency and accountability and only 24 percent for people and work efficiency. The assessment pointed to documentation issues raised by the Auditor-General and the Public Accounts Committee, gaps in published audit and budget execution reports, limited public information on staff training, and continuing concerns about fares and congestion in Accra.
The Ministry of Trade: Strength and Weaknesses
The Trade Ministry’s best score, 70 percent, was for transparency and accountability. It earned 53.33 percent for public engagement, but only 46.4 percent for service delivery quality and 46.67 percent for money management. Like Transport, it scored 24 percent for people and work efficiency.
It was credited for acknowledging trade delays, developing reform plans, extending the export revenue repatriation period from 60 to 120 days, joining the Government Accountability Series and engaging exporters.
However, the assessment noted port clearance delays that add costs for traders, concerns about loan monitoring under the Rural Enterprises Programme, broken document links on its website, no formal complaint channels, and gaps in workforce and training information.
The Fate of Finance Ministry
The Ministry of Finance, which holds the national purse, scored 58.16 percent and ranked 15th, within the acceptable performance category. Environment, Science and Technology placed 12th with 59.99 percent, the Attorney-General’s Office and Ministry of Justice 13th with 59.67 percent, and Energy and Green Transition 21st with 51.06 percent.
Most ministries passed 50 percent, but few approached the Interior Ministry’s 80.26 percent.
The Bottomline
ACEYE and Atlas Network say the next phase will bring stakeholder dialogues and the co-development of policy recommendations. This could give ministries, civil society, businesses and other stakeholders a table to examine the findings and agree practical reforms.
The index stresses public access to information, responsible use of public funds, staff productivity and the role citizens play in government decisions.
The longer-term value of the rankings will depend on how closely the findings are studied, how ministries respond and whether future assessments show real progress.
