The African Development Bank and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on Wednesday led calls among partner institutions for greater vigilance to tackle corruption and ensure the best environment to build back African economies after the Covid-19 pandemic.
The organizations made the call at a virtual roundtable meeting, titled "Corporate Compliance in the Fight against Corruption in Africa: Practices, Challenges and Prospects." Nearly 200 experts, representing government, academia, business, and multilateral institutions, participated in the meeting, where they assessed anti-corruption efforts and shared experiences to promote corporate integrity.
In 2020, 41 African economies contracted due to the Covid-19 crisis, the continent's worst economic downturn in half a century.
Paula Santos Da Costa, Acting Director of the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Office at the African Development Bank, noted that the crisis presented new risks, given its unprecedented scale and demands, while increased digitalization had generated new forms of corruption that will require innovative responses.
"Our partners' integrity is a priority for the Bank. The Bank must ensure that the resources entrusted by partners are used wisely. The Bank takes a preventive and curative approach to fight fraud and corruption in companies that have benefited from our financing," she said, adding that the fight against corruption is anchored in a zero-tolerance policy, especially in its dealings with contractors.
In his remarks, Patrick Moulette, Head of the OECD's Anti-Bribery Division, said it was more important than ever to intensify efforts to fight corruption and strengthen corporate integrity to ensure a strong economic recovery in Africa, especially through the private sector.
During a panel discussion, moderated by Elsa Gopala Krishnan, Senior Legal Analyst in the OECD Anti-Bribery Division, the speakers called for leadership and political will, educating the youth and promoting the role of women and the youth in anti-corruption efforts in Africa.
Businessman Cas Coovadia, chairman of Business Unity South Africa, stressed the significant contribution of business organizations in fighting corruption and promoting compliance. "These business associations must take the lead in the fight against corruption and the promotion of ethical values by working daily to encourage their members to join the fight. They can also sanction companies that do not comply with the defined rules. This requires a certain amount of courage," he said.
Jovita Fazenda, Head of Regulatory Affairs at Multichoice in Mozambique and a member of the Coalition for Organizational Integrity, said international standards for compliance promotion and anti-corruption must be adapted to national and local realities.
"We need to go further by building the capacity of these national companies, both public and private. We must also work on adapting international standards to the country context," she said.
Others also called for capacity building for investigative services specializing in the fight against corruption and fraud. "The current pandemic is not only a health crisis. It is also a crisis of corruption - states have taken emergency measures such as curfews, and state of emergency and lockdowns. Corporations have engaged in emergency donations, breaking many of the rules. All this has created a context that requires more vigilance in fighting corruption and promoting compliance," said Natascha Linn Felix, compliance director at Burmeister and Wain Scandinavian Contractor and former chair of Transparency International Denmark.
The African Development Bank and the OECD have been cooperating for several years on business integrity and anti-corruption efforts in Africa. After launching a partnership in 2008 to support African governments on this subject, the two institutions developed the Anti-Bribery Policy and Compliance Guidance for African Companies in 2016.
