African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, during the 30th African union summit held in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa.
African leaders have vowed to massively fight corruption on the African continent during the 30th African union summit held in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa.
The summit which was held under the theme “winning the fight against corruption: A sustainable path to Africa’s transformation”, follows fifteen years after the formation of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AAUCPCC) incepted in 2003 by the AU member states and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs).
Despite the formation of AAUCPCC, with an aim of combating corruption on the land, a number of countries are still amused with corruption scandals in Africa. As in the last year’s annual general meeting, African heads of states passed a resolution to fight against corruption if Africa is to see a sustainable path to transformation and hence launched this year.
A number of corruption scandals have rocked the African continent for the past three years which makes this declaration ideal and timely. MS Joyce Banda, the former president of republic of Malawi whose name was mentioned in cash gate scandal($250M) which halted international donors aid to the southern African states is just one of the prominent figures engrossed in the corruption circus in Africa.
Uganda’s Sam Kuteesa who is the former United Nations president also doubles as the Uganda’s foreign affairs minister is also being investigated for embezzling over $500,000 during his tenure with Chinese companies.
Other officials include south Africa’s Jacob Zuma for fueling the nation-wide protests in south African union workers against corruption. It is alleged that President Zuma connived with the prominent family of businessmen to fuel these protests among the public.
Similar scandals were seen in the Arab spring in Tunisia and Egypt in the fight against corrupt leaders.
The heads of state face two grave challenges of choosing an anti-corruption leader and also find channels of having and independently financed organisation. This will highly determine the impending gap between goal setting and implementation which will highly determine the success of this campaign.
