By Nina Gabrielle Mich
On the occasion of the International Anti-corruption Day, which is celebrated on 9th December every year the newly formed Media Association of Southern Africa (MASA), expressed itself through a cartoon, which illustrates the fight to put an end to excessive corruption plaguing over 80% of African countries.
At the 31st African Union Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) held at Nouakchott in Mauritania in July this year, the African Union heads of state expressed a will to give a new impetus to the economy of the continent by deciding to make the year 2018, “A year to win the fight against corruption, a sustainable path to the transformation of Africa”.
This is a theme which was also at the center of the debates during these meetings held in Mauritania.
However, the reality on the ground this is far from corresponding to the wishes expressed by the continent’s leaders.
Corruption affects all areas including public and private institutions, mining companies, universities, and sports. In short, corruption has become a real scourge that has proven to be stubborn for African countries to eradicate.
Nevertheless, the improvements have been recorded in countries such as Botswana, Cape Verde, and Rwanda which are among the least corrupt countries in Africa according to a recent report by Transparency International.
According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), indicates corruption related to various fraudulent activities in Africa causes the loss of $148 billion each year, which would be about 25% of Africa’s average GDP.
