The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has urged African governments to support the creation and strengthening of anti-corruption agencies and relevant government institutions.
CDD made this known in a statement signed by its Director, Idayat Hassan, to mark the 2022 International Anti-Corruption Day with the theme: ‘UNCAC at 20: Uniting the World Against Corruption’.
The United Nations General Assembly designated 09 December as International Anti-Corruption Day to raise awareness of corruption and of the role of the convention in combating and preventing it.
CDD noted that instances of leaders enjoying luxuries at the expense of citizens in the face of debilitating poverty must stop.
‘Democracy promotes development, more so than other forms of government. The region’s recent spate of coups is not tied to an aversion to democracy, but to the anger at the ways leaders are not held accountable for their actions – or inaction in some cases’, the statement read.
It also called on stakeholders, organisations and institutions, civil society and international partners to play an active part in addressing the issue, as corruption is the bedrock of democratic decline.
‘Authoritarian governments appear to be on the rise, illegitimate transfers of power are an increasing norm and cases of human rights abuse are rampant’, it added.
‘In each situation, groups have cited corrupt activities by governments and leaders as justification. The erosion of public trust is the biggest cost of corruption, and this is too high a price to pay for democracies around the world and especially in the West African region’.
According to a recent OEDC report, illicit capital loss from the African continent is an estimated U.S.$88.6 billion annually.
These leakages occur through tax evasion, deliberate mis-invoicing of trade shipments, corruption and theft.
The outcome is a lack of resources for states to address rife poverty and insecurity, which wanes public trust and gravely impacts the growth of democracy and good governance.
Photo source: Paul Kagame
