What if the numbers out of Africa aren't real numbers?
If everything in africa is corrupt then what can we believe?
Corruption In Africa: An Enduring Legacy
To some observers, it is ironic that while the international community decries corruption in public, it often quietly acquiesces in private. Over the years many campaigns have been launched at the national level and within multi-lateral bodies to fight graft and theft, and most have been unqualified failures.
One part of the renewed fight against corruption has been the emergence of civil society organizations that seek to curb these practices. Transparency International is a leader in the renewed fight against national and transnational corruption. According to Transparency, “15% of companies in industrialised countries have to pay bribes to win or retain business” and in Asia this figure climbs to 40%. In the 2000 survey of the perceptions of corruption, African countries occupied 7 of the last 10 places in the table.
There are many reasons for the persistence of corruption in Africa, ranging from debilitating poverty to the authoritarian legacy of colonialism, and the megalomania of Africa's more despotic leaders. However, while the challenge is great, it is by no means insurmountable. The sad fact is that the lack of progress in this fight may signal another, less palatable, reality.
That reality is that corruption may be here to stay for the foreseeable future. In a recent article for the Cato Institute, John Mukum Mbaku makes the point that “given the incentive system provided by existing rules, legal strategies and other forms of corruption, cleanups are unlikely to be effective.” It does not take advanced training in economics to know that corruption is an inefficient method of allocating resources that also creates market uncertainty galore. But corruption also has certain positive benefits. Corrupt practices are flexible and highly responsive to an uncertain political landscape and an often ossified bureaucratic structure. Corruption also bows to the reality that even mid-level public servants are supporting numerous extended family members, and that civil service salaries are inadequate to satisfy the many demands on a salaried official.
Another unpalatable reality is that the colonial era left behind a system and an organizational culture of authoritarianism, elitism and racism. It is hardly surprising that these behaviors have continued to be played out on a larger and cruder scale in the post-independence era. One example of the durability of the colonial legacy is Africa's ongoing marginalization in the new global economy, a point that was raised by the Executive President of the African Business Roundtable, Dr. James O. Onobiono at the World Economic Summit in 1998. It this type of marginalization and the lack of candor in regards to the impacts of colonial history in official discussions of corruption (discussions dominated in large part by the same colonial nations who helped instill these conditions) that rankles many observers of modern Africa.
In discussing Africa it behooves us to remember that corruption was not invented in Africa, nor is it unique to Africa. The reality is that corruption exists in Africa because the conditions are right for it to exist and until those conditions significantly change, it is likely to continue more or less unabated. This is by no means to excuse the reprehensible and dishonest leaders and public officials in Africa who make no attempt to discharge their duties with integrity and equanimity -- the incentives AGAINST honesty are large and profound -- but even a token effort would seem to be better than doing nothing. The resilience of corruption in the face of attempts to stamp it out is testament to intractability of the problem, and the history that brought Africa to this state of affairs.
For More Information Visit The Following Links
Corruption as a Lifestyle
Read about corruption first hand from the producers of a documentary on Africa entitled "Africa - the Continent that Overslept". This information service on Africa is a condensed version of "Afrika på DR Online".The English translation of Africa on DR Online is produced by the UNDP Nordic Liaison Office, Helle Nordberg.
Corruption in Africa
Newafrica.com summarizes Transparency International's Corruption perception index and places it in context for the African Business reader.
Governance Matters: From Measurement to Action
As the World Bank builds on its Governance efforts, reducing corruption is seen as a top priority in the effort. To further this priority, the World Bank is using its analytical muscle to helping governments and civil society identify and the problem describe the problem of corruption in more precise, discrete terms.
The Myth of Neo-Colonialism
In an article written by Tunde Obadina, director of Africa Business Information Services for Africa Economic Analysis, the author discusses some of the pernicious and lasting features of colonialism and their lasting impact today. Africa Economic Analysis is an independent charity whose purpose is to contribute to the advancement of public discussion and understanding of prevailing economic conditions in Africa. AEA aims to do this by providing a forum for debate and analysis of the underlying causes of underdevelopment Africa and policies to achieve modernisation.
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