Africa-Press – Tanzania. FIGHTING corruption remains a hazardous and complicated affair, with graft corruption networks fighting back viciously, an African Union (AU) official has observed.
The African Union-Advisory Board on Corruption (AU-ABC) Executive Secretary, Charity Nchimunya said here that the war against graft on the continent requires a concerted effort that must involve building partnerships among all stakeholders including regional economic communities.
“We must not get bogged down in the fight; if anything we must fight as it is the only way to build a better Africa that was integrated and devoid of corruption,” observed MsNchimunya on the sidelines of the of the 5th African Anti-Corruption Day.
The AU-ABC boss called upon African countries that were yet to ratify the AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption to do so, particularly singling out South Sudan’s failure to ratify the convention.
The African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC) was adopted in Maputo in July 11th2003 to fight rampant political corruption on the African continent.
It represents regional consensus on what African states should do in the areas of prevention, criminalization, international cooperation and asset recovery and also calls for the eradication of corruption in the private and public sector.
Out of the 55 countries on the continent, only 44 have ratified and are State Parties to the Convention.
Earlier, the East African Community (EAC) Secretary General Peter Mathuki urged African countries to instill strong value systems in the youth at an early stage, as part of efforts to combat corruption on the continent.
According to DrMathuki, instilling values and building the capacity of the youth to fight corruption at an early age would bring about a generation that abhorred graft.
He further underscored the urgent need of strengthening integrity in Africa, noting that it would help fight corruption and increase foreign direct investments need to create jobs, reduce poverty and spur economic growth.
“The conversation on African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by the African Political and Business Leaders is aimed at leveraging the power of businesses to drive Africa’s integration agenda. For this conversation to bring meaningful effort, to the African citizenry, we must infuse integrity and fight against corruption in the entire process,” DrMathuki explained.
The EAC Secretary General assured the corruption advisory board that his office was committed to jointly mobilize stakeholders and partners in implementing interventions that shall promote adoption of anti-corruption measures and combat corruption in the region and the continent.
On her part, the Deputy Director General of the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) NeemaMwakalyelye highlighted how the vice affected development projects and programmes, in addition to increasing poverty among citizens that can in turn cause political turbulences and social instability.
“In every major transnational organized crime, you will find the hand of corruption, be it in terrorism, narcotics trade, human trafficking and so on,” she said.
The PCCB Deputy Director General reaffirmed Tanzania’s commitment to work closely with other members of the East African Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (EAACA) to finalise the protocol on preventing and Combating Corruption in the region.
