The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has urged African countries to collaborate on joint efforts to advance the anti-corruption war in the continent.
The CDD Director, Idayat Hassan, made the call on Tuesday in Abuja at a High-Level Seminar to commemorate the African Anti-Corruption Day 2023.
The event with the theme, “African Union Convention on Preventing And Combatting Corruption (AUCPCC), 20 Years After: Achievements And Prospects,” was jointly organised by the CDD, Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT -Anti-Corruption Agencies), United Nations Office on Crime and Drugs (UNODC) and MacArthur Foundation.
Hassan, who highlighted the centre’s dedication to this cause, also pledged its renewed commitment to supporting initiatives aimed at curbing systemic corruption in Nigeria and Africa.
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She said that the commitment extended to addressing bribery, political embezzlement, theft, fraud, gratifications, extortion and blackmail, abuse of office, favoritism, nepotism, and clientelism.
Hassan, represented by the CDD Research Analyst, Afolabi Adekaiyoja, urged the remaining seven countries of Central African Republic, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Eritrea, Eswatini, Somalia, and South Sudan to follow suit and embrace the vital initiative.
She urged anti-corruption agencies across the continent to up the ante on illicit asset recovery as there was much more to be traced and recovered.
“The fight against corruption is complicated. With dedicated focus, strong political will and effective cooperation between and amongst African states, corruption can be better contained,” she said.
Also speaking, Mrs Jane Onwumere, the Head, Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-Corruption Reforms (TUGAR) said that the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combatting Corruption was adopted in Maputo, Mozambique in 2003 and since then, African Union member states had made significant efforts in the fight against corruption.
“In order to continually reflect on strategies to end corruption, the African Union designated 11th July as the African Anti-corruption Day. In recognition of the progress made by Nigeria and her position in blazing the trail in preventing and combatting corruption in the continent, former President Muhammadu Buhari was named the African Union Anti-corruption Champion.
“Nigeria along with other Member States has commemorated the Day for the past six years,” Onwumere said.
