By Dennis Peprah
Sunyani, July 19, GNA – Africa loses nearly US$89 billion dollars annually due to illicit financial flows; a United Nations report has revealed.
Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu, the Secretary of the Sunyani chapter of the Local Accountability Network, a group of NGOs fighting corruption who disclosed the report said tax evasion remained the bane of Africa’s development.
He was speaking at a public forum organised by the Network in Sunyani and sponsored by the Coalition, to commemorate the 2023 African Union Anti-Corruption Day celebration. July 11, marks the day the African Union (AU) adopted the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC) in Maputo, Mozambique on July 11, 2003.
The Convention came into force in 2006 and as of August 2021, it had been ratified by 44 member states of the African Union.
Mr Ahenu, also the Chief Executive Officer of Global Media Foundation, a human right and anti-corruption media advocacy NGO said Africa would not need any foreign aid to develop the continent, if leaders on the continent took decisive action to fight corruption, saying the “western powers are only exploiting the continent through their supposed aids with wings”.
“Corruption has long been a pressing issue in Africa, impeding the continent’s progress and hindering her development”, he said, lamenting that despite efforts to combat the pervasive menace, corruption continued to plague various sectors of the African society, from politics and public administration to business and law enforcement.
Mr Ahenu therefore underlined the need to put a spotlight on the impact of corruption in Ghana and Africa in general to make the younger generations understand its detrimental effects on developing nations like Ghana.
“In fact, bribery, embezzlement and nepotism have become common, thereby dirtying the image and tarnishing the reputation of politicians, and eroding public confidence in governments too”, he stated.
Mr Ahenu expressed worry about recurring misappropriation of public funds, intended for development, and thus leading to sub-standard infrastructure and a lack of basic amenities in many communities in the country.
The public administration sector is also plagued by corruption, with reports of civil servants demanding bribes for services that should be provided free of charge, he said.
“This does not only impede public service delivery, but also perpetuates a culture of corruption, as citizens are forced to engage in corrupt practices to access their basic human rights”,
Mr. Ahenu lamented. He said corruption in the business sector was equally worrying, as companies often engaged in bribery to secure contracts or gain preferential treatment, undermining fair competition and stifling economic growth.
Mr. Ahenu therefore challenged young people in Africa to mobilize and stand against corruption and called on Africa leaders too to do more to resource and strengthen anti-corruption institutions to make their work relevant by enhancing transparency and accountability and promoting a culture of integrity. Governments in Africa must also prioritize the enforcement of existing anti-corruption laws,
Mr Ahenu said and called on the media and civil society actors and organisations to contribute proactively to fighting corruption.
GNA