Johannesburg — The Economic Commission for Africa, in partnership with the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) has today launched the fourth Africa Governance Report (AGR IV), titled, "Measuring Corruption in Africa: the International Dimension Matters". The launch took place in the principal conference room of SAIIA at the main campus of the University of the Witwatersrand.
This report challenges the traditionally narrow conceptualization of corruption as consisting of 'the abuse of public office for private gain.' It argues that corruption must be viewed as a broader governance phenomenon, where private and external agents also share through collective responsibility. In particular, it implores African countries and partners to re-think how corruption is measured in general and in the African context in particular. It calls for a move away from purely perception-based measures of corruption, to focus on approaches that are fact-based and built on more objective quantitative criteria.
In presenting the report, Francis Ikome, Chief of the Governance and Public Sector Management Section in the Macroeconomic Policy Division at the ECA, highlighted the multi-faceted nature of corruption, including its international dimensions and the negative impact that it has had on Africa's development and transformation agenda. He stressed the need to assess and evaluate corrupt acts and practices in a broader economic governance context.
Speaking at the launch, Professor Melaku Desta, Special Adviser to the CEO of the APRM Secretariat pointed to the cross-cutting nature of corruption and the inherent difficulty of defining it with precision. He said, despite the challenges in properly defining corruption, "we know corruption when we see it". He acknowledged the centrality of institutions in the fight against corruption but argued that institutions in and on themselves would not stop corruption. What is even more important, is capacitation and resourcing these institutions, as well as upholding the norms and rules they embody.
On his part, Ibrahim Fakir, Political Commentator and Director of Programmes at the Auwal Socio-economic Research Institute (ASRI), argued that the role of politics should not be overlooked when discussing corruption in Africa.
"Governance does not operate in a vacuum, rather, it is shaped and structured by the body politics of the state and since African states have for so long experienced poor politics, this has had an impact on their governance, including in the ability of established state institutions to fight corruption," said Mr. Fakir.
Mr. Fakir added that while it is the case that the international dimensions of corruption do matter as the report demonstrates, it is imperative to continue to pay attention to the domestic dimensions, including strengthening critical national institutions of governance.
Participants, who were drawn from diverse segments of the public including the diplomats, academics, the private sector and government officials robustly engaged the content of the report and the perspectives of the presenters, including the extent to which perceptions about the levels of corruption in Africa have structured attitudes towards Africa, particularly with regard to ODA and FDI flows.
