A total of 157 Civil Society
Organisations (CSO) drawn from 37 African countries have written an open letter
to African leaders demanding an end to corruption on the continent, reports ITRealms.
They also expected ambitious outcome
from the African Heads of States summit to be held in Mauritania in July.
ITRealms
also reports that 2018 is the AU year of winning the fight against corruption,
and the CSOs see that as a critical opportunity for African governments to go
beyond rhetoric and deliver concrete action to combat corruption.
“Africa’s leaders have long paid lip
service to tackling corruption – it’s time for action, not talk,” the declared.
According to respondents to the most
recent Afrobarometer survey, members of the CSOs noted that two-thirds believe
their government is doing a poor job of improving the living standards of the
poor and in fighting corruption.
“Roughly half report having lost
trust in legislative bodies, courts, police, national electoral commissions,
and opposition parties. Nearly a third believe that people do not report
corruption because they are afraid of the consequences,” part of the survey
read.
The
letter addressed to H.E. Hon. Moussa Faki
Mahama, Chairperson, African Union Commission, H.E. President Paul Kagame,
Chairperson, African Union and President of the Republic of Rwanda, H.E.
President Muhammadu Buhari, Champion of the 2018 AU theme and President of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria; and Hon. Begoto Miarom, Chairperson, AU Advisory
Board on Corruption, they urged the African Union and
Member States to seize this opportunity and deliver meaningful anti-corruption
commitments at the July Summit.
The African Union’s focus on
combating corruption comes at a critical juncture. African citizens
consistently place corruption among their top concerns. Corruption among
government officials and bureaucracies has increased over the last decade
according to the Ibrahim Index of African Governance. They also noted that
Panama Papers and other recent investigative leaks have exposed numerous flaws
in anti-corruption regimes across the continent. The 2015 report issued by the
High Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa, led by former
President Thabo Mbeki, estimated that more than US$50 billion illicitly flows
out of the continent every year.
The AU’s Convention on Preventing and
Combating Corruption, adopted in 2003, outlines a robust set of principles,
including rooting out corruption, strengthening democratic principles,
institutions, and the rule of law, and increasing transparency and
accountability in the management of public affairs. Yet implementation of the
Convention’s principles has been uneven and inadequate across the continent.
State effectiveness and legitimacy
are critical for building African government systems that are responsive and
accountable to the needs of their citizens. Yet these key ingredients of
lasting development remain weak across the continent. Roughly half of the
respondents to the most recent Afrobarometer survey report having little or no
trust in legislative bodies, courts, police, national electoral commissions,
and opposition parties. Roughly two-thirds believe their government is doing a
poor job of improving the living standards of the poor and in fighting
corruption. Nearly a third believe people fail to report corruption because
they are afraid of the consequences.
Africa is at a critical tipping
point. The continent’s population is expected to double by 2050, with half of
those under the age of 25. An estimated 22.5 million Africans will enter the
workforce each year. This poses an opportunity or risk to the continent,
depending on whether African governments are able to harness the potential of
their youth. The ability and willingness of governments to be responsive to
their citizens and invest in measures that create lasting economic growth and
development will determine Africa’s future.
To rebuild citizen trust in
governments and to enable citizens and governments to work together to build a
better future, citizens must be able to track budgets and follow the money from
resources to results, and citizens, an independent media, and appropriate
judicial and legislative checks and balances must be able to hold leaders
accountable.
Meaningful steps toward making this
vision a reality must be taken in 2018. It is imperative that concrete progress
to combat corruption be made at the AU Heads of State Summit in July 2018.
Vague or rhetorical promises to fight corruption will be insufficient to
rebuild citizen trust in government and ensure that all Africans have equal
opportunities to thrive.
“We, the below signatories, call on
the African Union and Members States to deliver an ambitious declaration at the
2018 July summit that includes concrete commitments to prevent further
corruption, give credible anti-corruption bodies and law-enforcement agencies
the arsenal needed to effectively combat corruption, and that ensure that
citizens have the information necessary to restore confidence in government
institutions,” the CSOs said, insisting that this is an opportunity to make
progress in the fight against corruption.
They further assured readiness to
play an active and constructive role as AU plans this important event.
Chuks Egbune/GEE
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