-As AU declares Anti-Corruption year
The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) and 27 other Transparency International African Chapters have joined the African Union (AU) in commemorating the African Anti-corruption Day.
African Anti-corruption Day was commemorated on Wednesday, July 11.
The African and international transparency watchdog groups has applaud the African Union Assembly for declaring the African Anti-Corruption Year (Project 2018) with the theme: “Winning the Fight Against Corruption: A Sustainable Path To Africa’s Transformation.”
According to a press release, CENTAL said it believes that winning the fight against corruption, which is considered the leading cause of poverty and underdevelopment on the continent.
This, it says requires increased commitment and political will, which are currently lacking on the continent, especially in Liberia. Corruption is not only a scourge; it is a cancer for our continent.
As such, we must continue the fight beyond 2018 and encourage Africans to reject corruption wherever it rears its ugly head. We strongly believe, now more than ever, that it is time for the AU to move from slogans to actions.
The transparency campaigners are urging the AU to dedicate resources to the war against corruption in its member countries. Increased financial support will help strengthen existing anti-corruption systems and support civil society in eradicating the scourge from the continent.
The African Union must do more to ensure that all member states sign unto and ratify the AU Convention to Prevent and Combat Corruption (AUCPCC).
CENTAL and the other transparency campaigners are calling for dedicated actions must be directed towards ensuring that corruption and other issues linked to procurement, contracting, extractive sector governance, assets recovery and etc. are tackled. Also, the AU must prevail on member states to do more in tackling corruption, which remains a major challenge on the continent.
As Liberia joins other African Countries in celebrating the Africa Anti-corruption Day, we wish to reiterate call for the Liberian government to prioritize and vigorously fight against corruption.
There can be no better time to do so than now, when the country’s economy is seriously challenged and the negative impacts of corruption are glaringly visible across the country. CENTAL calls on the Weah-led Government to move away from talks to actions; from future to now; and from delay to speed, in taking the necessary steps to decisively address Corruption in Liberia, the CENTAL press release said..
Having said these, CENTAL wishes to recommend the following:
- Scrupulous enforcement of existing global, regional and national laws, policies and frameworks for fighting against corruption, mainly in Liberia
- Addressing Impunity through prosecution of allegedly corrupt officials of the previous administration as well as those of the current regime
- Increased moral and financial support to public integrity institutions
- Full compliance with and implementation of policies, regulations and best practices around contracting, beneficial ownership, procurement, assets recovery, etc.
- Civil society, media and the general public must be vocal on issues related to Corruption, remain constructively engaged and demand transparency and accountability in how the countries resources are managed