Nigeria and other Sub-Saharan countries have bottomed the latest (2022) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) report by Transparency International.

According to the report released on Tuesday, there has not been much progress in the fight against corruption under President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime in the last year, maintaining last year’s 24 out of 100 points.

The Sub-Saharan Africa region also took a setback from 33 points average score last year to 32, underlying the deepening corruption crises across the region as it relates to the cost of living, recovery from the pandemic, and worsening inequality.

“The COVID-19 pandemic severely affected livelihoods, deepening inequalities and increasing corruption risks across Sub-Saharan Africa,” the Transparency International report said. “The region remains the lowest performer on the CPI, with an average score of 32. Forty-four of the 49 countries assessed still score below 50, and significant declines in many countries outweigh the gains made in a few.”

Seychelles, Botswana, and Cabo Verde topped the region’s chat with 70, 60, and 60 points, respectively. Somalia was the least rated on the region’s chart scoring 12 out of 100 points, with South Sudan, Equatorial Guinea, and Burundi closing at 13, 17, and 17 points, respectively.

Although Denmark, Finland, and Norway lead Western Europe and the European Union region to retain the top-scoring region, several countries have stagnated growth in over a decade owing to undue influence and fragmented anti-corruption measures.

“With an average score of 66, Western Europe and the EU is once again the top-scoring region in the CPI. However, progress has stagnated in most countries for more than a decade, as undue influence and fragmented anti-corruption measures have taken their toll,” the report explained.

It added, “The changing security landscape since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a looming recession both demand robust responses from governments.”