The Governance Series Wave 2, a new survey report by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), has revealed a high citizen demand for infrastructure development and quality service delivery.
It revealed that 52.6 per cent of the participants expected infrastructure development and quality service within the next six months, while 25.9 per cent expected economic stability, job creation and business support.
Others were good governance and accountability, nine per cent; environmental protection and sanitation, 5.3 per cent; safety, security and law enforcement, 6.2 per cent; while social welfare and support for the vulnerable was 0.3.
Mr John Gambo, the Upper West Regional Statistician, presented the survey findings at a stakeholder engagement in Wa to mark the 2025 African Statistics Day.
The engagement was to, among other things, enable stakeholders share experiences, best practices, and lessons in leveraging innovation to improve data quality, timeliness, and relevance.
The survey compared two survey findings - Wave 1 (first survey conducted in 2024) and Wave 2 (second survey conducted in 2025).
It sampled 15,400 selected households from the 2021 population and Housing Census (PHC), with 7,248 and 5,640 interviews completed in Wave 1 and 2, respectively.
On payment of bribes, the report indicated that 14.3 per cent of the respondents in Wave 2 said they gave gifts to public officials compared to 18.4 per cent in Wave 1.
The gifts given included: favours, money, valuables, land or other goods, and food, drinks and animals, with money being the highest - 85.2 per cent in Wave 1 and 72.1 per cent in Wave 2.
The data also showed that some of the gifts were requested by the public official while others were unsolicited.
The survey recommended increased citizen engagement at all levels to align policies with people's priorities
It called for measures to protect persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, who were most exposed to informal payments, through the introduction of priority service lanes and accessibility protocols.
The survey also stressed the need to institute clear rules on gifts and conflict of interest for public officers, among others.
The African Statistics Day was established in 1990 by the Conference of African Ministers for Planning and Economic Development, under the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).
It was to raise awareness about the importance of statistics in economic and social development, and promote the use and improvement of reliable statistical systems across African nations.
This year's commemoration was on the theme: "Leveraging innovations in data and statistics to promote a just, peaceful, inclusive and prosperous society for Africans."
Mr Gambo emphasised the importance of informed policy-making and evidence-based planning through high-quality data in addressing citizens' needs.
He explained that the theme "challenges us to think bigger, to be more creative, and to deepen our commitment to equity and progress."
Mr Salifu Issifu Kanton, the Executive Director, Community Development Alliance, encouraged communities to desist from giving gifts in appreciation of services provided.
He indicated that some community leaders gave animals and other items to public and private officials for service provided, but said those services were not privileges.