Year after year, various organizations and bodies around the world release statistics related to corruption around the world. What is particularly interesting is that Africa often features among countries where corruption is rife. If our fortunes as a continent are to turn around, this problem has to be dealt with decisively.

Before a problem can be dealt with, though, it’s important to define it. What is corruption? To get a clear perspective, let’s look at the most commonly talked about form of corruption – political corruption. According to Transparency International, the leading entity dealing with corruption in the world, in their recent Global Corruption Report, “political corruption is the abuse of entrusted power by political leaders for private gain, with the objective of increasing power or wealth. Political corruption need not involve money changing hands; it may take the form of ‘trading in influence’ or granting favors that poison politics and threaten democracy”

This definition gives us a pretty good basis to work on to look at how we can go about dealing with political corruption in Africa. Here are a few things we take from this definition that can help us:

  • The abuse of entrusted power. If people in positions in power don’t recognize that what they have is a privilege entrusted to them, corruption is certain. Leaders, regardless of which sphere they operate in, need to respect the people they lead. We need more respectful leaders in Africa. Respectful doesn’t mean weak.
  • For private gain. Behind corruption is an attitude of selfishness. If we are to defeat the demon of corruption, people must care about other people. Leaders are called leaders because they have people to lead.
  • The objective of increasing power or wealth. This ties in with the issue of selfishness but, more so, relates to lack of focus. A leader’s reason for being where he or she is, is to move a group or community of people forward. If the very reasons for being in a place of power are not right, people will always chase after wrong objectives.
  • Granting favors that poison politics and threaten democracy. This is where everything goes wrong. Corruption muddies the waters and blurs the lines so much so that it’s no longer clear who’s who and what’s what. Because corruption turns the abnormal into something normal, everything else is thrown out of balance. Keeping lines clear is one decisive way to deal with political corruption.

What’s your view on political corruption in Africa? Has it affected you personally in some way and do you have some thoughts on how we can uproot it?

We’d love to hear from you.