Investigate the Factors that Determine the Well-Being of Africans Today

by domsingh123 (student)

Being a native African, it has concerned me that Africa seems to have distanced itself from the general growth of the other continents. During the era of geographic exploration five centuries ago Africa attracted nothing like the attention the Americas and Far East enjoyed. The lack of good harbours and the inexistence of many rivers were just some of the factors that postponed the arrival of explorers for many centuries. After gaining governmental liberation, which occurred predominantly in the 1960s, most African countries were beginning to stimulate mechanisation. The prominence on industrialization was based on the political belief, by African leaders, that it was obligatory to ensure self-sufficiency. Yet many MEDCs, such as the UK, are continuously providing bilateral aid to Africa. This is probably partly due to disappointment over Africa’s lack of growth, reinforced by the misleading, damaging picture portrayed by the media. The need for a full-bodied African policy is greater than ever. Making progress in contradiction of African poverty and meeting the Millennium Development Goals are raising problematic challenges in most African nations. In spite of the pockets of success, virtually half the regions populous still lives in extreme poverty, plus, Africa still houses about three-quarters of the world’s deprived countries. This essay reflects both the magnitude of the issues and the forte of the response; sounding a clear warning on the need to move from verbal promises to genuine results in order to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. It reviews the structure and composition of Africa’s trade and political system along with the associated problems of commodity dependence. It also examines briefly national and international policy measures adopted in the past to address the “commodity problem”, which is at the heart of the continent’s trade performance. There was the anticipation that mechanisation would accelerate the revolution of African countries from agrarian to contemporary economies, create employment opportunities, raise revenues as well as living standards, and reduce vulnerability to terms of trade shocks resulting from dependence on primary commodity exports.

In my eyes, corruption in Africa is a crime against development. In 2009, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Southern Africa Representative Jonathan Lucas labelled corruption as “a crime against development, democracy, education, prosperity, public health and justice - what many would consider the pillars of social well-being."(1) Transparency International’s 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index - released in October 2010 - identified Africa as the most corrupt region in the world. (2) The Corruption Perceptions Index scores countries based on questions about the effectiveness of public anti-corruption efforts, embezzlement of public funds and assessments of the prevalence of bribery of public officials. The CPI 2010 list ranks six African countries among the 10 most corrupt countries in the mix of the 173 nations surveyed. Somalia heads the list as the most corrupt nation in the world. Amid the top ten are: Chad, Angola, Burundi, Sudan, and Equatorial Guinea. Countries are scored on a 10-poitn scale, with ten being least corrupt and 0 being most. 44 out of the 47 African nations surveyed scored less than 5, signifying high levels of corruption. The brutality of Africa’s corruption problem is further verified by the least corrupt African country, Botswana, only attaining a score of 5.8. Below I will list two example putting corruption in human perspective.

A bribe demanded by a teacher to enrol a girl at a ‘free’ elementary school could irrevocably block that girl's education and future opportunities.
A hike in the local cost of drugs by newly elected politicians whose campaigns were supported by pharmaceutical firms might put treatment out of reach of sick people, leaving them unable to work and earn a living.

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A bribe demanded by a teacher to enrol a girl at a ‘free’ elementary school could irrevocably block that girl's education and future opportunities.
A hike in the local cost of drugs by newly elected politicians whose campaigns were supported by pharmaceutical firms might put treatment out of reach of sick people, leaving them unable to work and earn a living.

Amounts paid as bribes are often quite small, but the implicit costs are great. The Anti-Corruption Catalyst report shows, through the statistical analysis of data from 42 countries, that where more bribes are paid, there is a lower literacy rate among 15 to 24-year-olds. A rise in reported bribery is also associated with higher maternal deaths in 64 states, regardless of a country's wealth or how much it invests in health. Data for 51 countries shows that people's access to safe drinking water falls as bribery increases. According to Transparency International, reducing bribery has the same effect on improving access to clean water as increasing household incomes.

These incidents transform corruption into a somewhat “degenerating tax” on amenities that the poor cannot afford, making basic services inaccessible. Hence, it is the deprived and vulnerable who suffer most due to corruption as they are more contingent on governmental facilities and public schemes to fulfil their most basic needs. Corruption also results in the unorthodoxy of funds intended for development and undercuts the government’s ability to provide basic services. It also undermines the rule of law, feeding inequality and injustice, discouraging foreign investment, further impeding development. (3) There are also hidden costs associated with corruption. The costs of a form of corruption termed “quiet corruption” by the World Bank, adversely affect the unfortunate above all. The World Bank’s Africa Development Indicators 2010 shows that civil servants' failure to deliver Government-run health, education or agricultural services, further endangers Africa’s long-term development. (4) This form of corruption - smaller in financial terms and not usually involving influential officials or large sums of money - is particularly harmful for the poor. One example of this type of low-level corruption comes from Burkina Faso, ranked 98th in Corruption Perception Index with a score of 3.8. (2) RENLAC, the Burkina Faso anti-corruption network, identified a primary school inspector who used to arrange for teachers posted to rural areas to be transferred back to cities if they paid her small sums of money, thus depriving the rural poor of much needed teachers. (5) In many African countries, teachers at government schools stay away from class or do not take up appointments in remote regions. The results of this behaviour has shocking long-term effects, as children are left without a proper education because of absentee teachers, resulting in them suffering with low cognitive skills and associated problems in adulthood.(6)

It is clear then that corruption in all its forms is a crime against development that blocks attempts at growth and poverty eradication. Corruption impacts most heavily on the poor and vulnerable members in society. Thus, fighting on behalf of the disempowered and ensuring Africa’s development means that the responsibility for dealing with corruption falls squarely on all, from Governments and donors to civil society and citizens.

Corruption is rife in most African civilisations; nonetheless is worst in countries where:

institutions such as the government and judiciary are feeble;
the rule of law is not firmly enforced;
the individuality and competence of the public and private sectors have been eroded; and
civil society lacks the means to hold perpetrators to account.(7)

These features may exemplify many African countries, but the problem of corruption can nevertheless be addressed through the collective efforts of individuals in all spheres of humanity.

The solution? In order to destroy the undesirable outcomes of extortion on development, Transparency International has calls on all governments, benefactors and non-Governmental organisations to implement anti-corruption measures in all their development strategies. (8) Above all, the anti-graft organisation proposes that the gateway to resolving the problem is for governments to implement the 2003 United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), endorsed by 145 countries. UNCAC, which came into force on 14 December 2005, developed into the first lawfully binding, global, anti-corruption agreement on behalf of a significant attainment in the fight against corruption. (9)

The concord takes a rounded approach and includes a broad assortment of anti-corruption policies oscillating from good governance and organizational reform to the contribution of civil society. Its four posts - deterrence, illegalisation, asset repossession and international collaboration serve to promote exposed, candid and effectual decision-making, reasonable competition and principled procurement schemes, supporting effective Government development strategies.

Transparency International also urges donors to be transparent to allow for greater public oversight of where and how their money is spent. This will help citizens to hold governments receiving donor funds to account. Transparency International further suggests that transparency can be improved by the regular publication of data on how the authority and anti-corruption efforts are being employed to attain development towards the Millennium Development Goals. Transparency initiatives could also include national-level access to information laws, information campaigns on citizens' rights, and joining international initiatives to publish information on particular sectors, such as natural resource revenues.

Governments must include anti-corruption measures in their development strategies if progress is to be made in this field. However, Government action will not be enough. Key to fighting corruption is the inclusion of the private sector in the implementation of anti-corruption strategies. If the fight against corruption is to make any progress, the private sector cannot leave all the work to Government. Businesses must actively seek to eliminate corruption within their ranks, by keeping bribery out of the tendering and procurement processes and eliminating extortion, in accordance with the 10th principle of the UN Global Compact of universally accepted principles regarding human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. (10)

Public opinion must support anti-corruption strategies to be a major force in creating an environment in which corruption is not accepted or condoned. Too often in the past, corruption has been seen as a fact of life with corruption cases rarely being reported. Mechanisms must be put in place for citizens to hold authorities to account on matters of corruption. Furthermore, knowledge will empower communities to become part of the solution to the problem rather than the victims of corruption. According to TI, accountability on development progress can also be promoted through measures to increase the involvement of community members, including women and other vulnerable groups, in decision-making processes and monitoring Government pledges and aid projects. (11) The organisation suggests that tools like shadow reports and scorecards can be used to rate Governments against their commitments.

To conclude, worldwide corruption is a serious problem that weakens societies, ruins lives, and impedes development. As one of the world’s most corrupt regions, it is vital that Africa tackles the problem with increased vigour. Effectively addressing corruption on the continent must become a development imperative as African countries cannot bear the costs of corruption.

As ever, it is the poor and marginalised who suffer most from corruption, but as a threat to the development of the region, fighting corruption becomes the shared responsibility of every African. In addition to anti-corruption measures being made an integral part all development strategies at the State level, the private sector and civil society must assist Government in fighting the scourge. Only then will Africa be able to achieve the development, growth and prosperity required for the continent to reach its full potential.

(1) Sholain Govender-Bateman, ‘Corruption Africa: A crime against development’, Inter Press Services, 9 December 2009, www.ipsnews.net.

(2) Transparency International, Corruption Perceptions Index, Transparency International, www.transparency.org

(3) United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), United Nations convention against corruption 2004, New York: United Nations, www.unodc.org.

(4) African Development Bank, Africa development indicators 2010, Washington: The World Bank, www.worldbank.org.

(5) George Fominyen, ‘African development hindered by "quiet corruption"- World Bank’, Reuters AlertNet, 15 March 2010, www.alertnet.org.

(6) African Development Bank, Africa development indicators 2010, Washington: The World Bank, www.worldbank.org.

(7) Lawal, G., Corruption and development in Africa: challenges for political and economic change, Humanity and Social Sciences Journal, 2(1), pp. 1-7, 2007.

(8) Transparency International, The anti-corruption catalyst: realising the MDGs by 2015,Transparency International, www.transparency.org.

(9) United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, United Nations convention against corruption 2004, New York: United Nations, www.unodc.org.

(10) United Nations Global Compact Office, Corporate citizenship in the world economy: the UN Global Compact 2008, New York: United Nations, www.globalcompact.org.

(11) Transparency International, The anti-corruption catalyst: Realising the MDGs by 2015,Transparency International, www.transparency.org.

Investigate the factors that determined the well-being of Africa in the world today