In a recent announcement by Transparency International, Sierra Leone has once again defied expectations, climbing to a new high in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for 2023.
The nation soared from its previous ranking of 110 in 2022 to an impressive 108 out of 180 countries surveyed.
According to the report released on January 30, 2024, Sierra Leone’s score also saw a notable improvement, rising from thirty-four (34) to thirty-five (35) in 2023, marking the country’s highest recorded score since the inception of the CPI rankings.
This marks the fifth consecutive year of improvement, with Sierra Leone ascending twenty-two (22) places since 2017.
“This year’s CPI shows mixed results in Africa, with significant improvements in a few countries. However most African countries experienced stagnation, maintaining the region’s consistently poor performance, with an unaltered regional average score of 33,” noted the report.
Sierra Leone’s progress places it ahead of seventy-two (72) countries globally in the fight against corruption, including thirty-one (31) African nations. Notable among these are Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Kenya. Additionally, Sierra Leone has consistently outperformed the sub-Saharan average score for the past four years.
The CPI, a yearly survey conducted by Transparency International, serves as a benchmark for assessing perceived levels of corruption in the public sector across the globe.
Sierra Leone’s impressive performance extends beyond the CPI, with outstanding scores in the ‘Control of Corruption’ indicator in the Millennium Challenge Corporation Scorecard, consistently exceeding 70% for six consecutive years.
Similar strides have been reported by other global corruption measurement institutions like Afrobarometer, indicating a significant reduction in corruption prevalence from 70% in 2015 to 40% in 2020.
The Sierra Leone Anti-Corruption Commission reaffirms its commitment to maintaining and furthering the country’s progress in national, sub-regional, regional, and global anti-corruption governance indices.
