Government corruption in Africa - Research Paper Example

Government Corruption in Africa I. Overview of Corruption II. In what Nature does Corruption exist in Africa? III. Corruption and Growth in Africa a. Why did corruption develop at a higher pace in Africa than the rest of the world? i. Fighting Corruption b. Why has the process of combating corruption become a tuff task in Africa? IV. Conclusion Government Corruption in Africa Introduction The word corruption can simply be defined as moral pervasion where a person does not do a task in an honest manner. It can also be defined as the misuse of entrusted power for private or individual gain. Corruption includes bribery, extortion and other misconduct acts like fraud and theft (Chauvin 2001, 81). Corruption is a word that has been observed in many different ways and by different researchers. Its conceptualization has drawn attention in current past challenging and several views and also approaches. It is therefore viewed as a worldwide phenomenon since it has been with almost all societies in the world. In what nature does corruption exist in Africa? Corruption exist s in all parts of the globe, in evolving and also in developed countries. In latest years, there has been a significant rise in the devotion given to corruption. This has been triggered by a number of reasons. The first one is due to the rise in criminal cases related to corruption in industrialized countries. The second reason is due to an increase in awareness of the expenses of corruption all over the world. Thirdly is in line for the political and also the economic alterations which most nations are experiencing. Corruption in Africa is a growth impediment. African nations are not able to tolerate the price of corruption that hinders growth and also reduces the capability of government to diminish poverty. Corruption therefore has become a core enemy of economy and development in most of African countries. Corruption has spread like storm all over post-independence Africa for more than 4 decades. There is absolutely no country all over the continent that has not been affected by this disease. They are either affected to a greater or lesser degree by the corruption virus. Since political independence, the foul of gross mismanagement of national economies and raiding of national treasuries for deposit in European and also offshore bank accounts became the tendency in most countries of Africa. In October 2006, the head of the World Bank disclosed that Nigeria executives had stolen an amount of more than 300 billion dollars of their nation’s wealth over the last forty years (Alberto, 1999). But the issue is not just limited to a few bad apples through. Corruption is not just pervasive but also a key part of the social material of life. For those at the lower and end pat of the society, like humble civil servant, the sale of limited power they possess is practically their only means of survival. Higher up force is one of the major ways of enrichment. This is mostly because it facilitates social development and the maintenance of once position. It also enables the political leaders to fulfill their obligations, meet the expectation of their clients and thus enhance their status. Corruption is one of the most talked and published topic. Academics have acknowledged and also documented different aspects of this social ill including its nature, causes, extent and also its consequences. However, earlier struggles to diagnose the factors accounting for its origin, persistence and to set its solution and solving procedures. They have failed to present a complete approach that incorporates its internal and external context and focuses on the totality of participants which are givers as well as takers. These have a habit of emphasizing the internal causes of corruption and to treat the receiver as the one who is corrupt. They have also detailed the role played by African system of government, private business and individuals at the expense of terminating corruption. Corruption and growth in Africa Why did corruption develop at a higher pace in Africa than the rest of the world? From the time of colonization corruption consumes has been a source for concern because it turns away already inadequate funds, undermines economic progress and impedes policy changes required for development. Africa presents a distinctive case of the countries in the world where development have been weakened and also retarded by the threat of corrupt practices. A series of reform have been made in all the African nations so as to create the scheme of African condition efficient and result focused on. Nevertheless, the expected gains of such hard work or improvements have not been noticeable due to many factors which including corruption. Without hesitation, corruption have been infused the African culture and anybody who can mention that African has not yet become upsetting is either a crook, a fool or maybe he does not live in this continent. The situation has grown too wicked to the level that whatever way one views corruption, it involves the abuse of public duty or deviancy from great moral ideals in the exchange of individual monetary gains. The act is also connected with moral and deceitful acts. The properties of corruption are sensed in the social, political, and also in the economic ream. Although the cost of corruption maybe high in terms of lost revenue or funds diverted from their intended destination and use. The secondary costs in positions of the economic alteration; weak and waste resulting from corrupt practices are more challenging over the long- term and thus led to more complication in terms of addressing the matter. Corruption also increases the cost of doing business. This is because it wastes resources and thus radically reduces revenues amassing to the state. It also results into poor service delivery. This comes about as a result of people being denied to perform normal functions without additional payments. There has been a rise in evidence that the social and economic cost of corruption greatly affects the poor people. This people not only suffer from lack of genuine services but also greatly endure less power to confront the corrupt people in the nation. This in turn led to increase in poverty levels in the country in question. Different types of argument have been raised to describe the extensiveness of corruption in Africa. They include poverty, the personalization of public offices, political culture and the inability of leaders to overcome their colonial approach in the aspect of their perception of public workplace. Presently, the prosperity of some African officials of state was published by French weekly. If corruption is fairly confined, growth will not be unduly affected. In other terms, growth would be effective and faster if corruption is not available. Moreover, if the profits from corrupt acts are re-invested into the economy, the negative effects of corruption may be somewhat moderated. In the year 1991 only according to the estimation, more than $200billion in the capital was drained off of Africa by the ruling government elites (Edvig 2008, 81). This amount was more than half of Africa’s foreign debt of $300billlion. This wealth resulting from corruption practices also forms part of capital flight and on a yearly basis exceeding what comes to Africa as imported aid. To archive the above objectives, the corrupt leaders take over and overthrow every key of the government. They do this in order to meet their personal needs rather than those of the citizens as obligated to. The aid services for example, the media banking military and also judiciary are supposed to be non-partisan. In other terms, they are not supposed to be in favor of particular or specific group of people. This can undermine the act of corruption. But instead of this aid service being non-partisan, they also get into the corruption act by favoring curtain people. Instead of undermining corruption, they continue to encourage and thus led to the rise of this ill practices. The outcomes or the effects of Corruption in Africa can be analyzed from three main faces. The faces are, the economic political and also social cultural. To start with the political, corruption has the capability of prompting political instability, collapse of law and order, brain drain, ineffectiveness of public services among many others. When we view from the economic side, it is evident that corruption is indeed an enemy of economic growth in the international scene. This also in turn tarnishes the countries name especially in interpersonal and international business relationships. This is because corruption gives away for immoral acts and thus led to misuse of rules and regulation of a state. Mores, a nation that tolerates corruption often overwhelmed this lot of economic and social wickedness. Economic and social and infrastructural facilities are tarnished to pave way for unnecessary replacement and procurements or conversion to individual use. Trade and businesses cannot prosper or rather flourish because investors will fear to invest much in these areas of the world where corruption is at a high not. The overall effects of these malpractices will led to the increase of inflation, decline in output, unemployment, foreign reserves and deterioration in the living standards of the people. This also in turn leads to increase in poverty level where people who are jobless are not able to cater for their own needs. This can also led to raise in crime for example theft and other crime practices. On the social-cultural perspective, corruption apart from provoking poverty has the ability of altering the social values of a good and progressive society dramatically to nothing else than the crazy pursuit of wealth affluences, power and society recognition. People no longer recognize and appreciate the virtues of good moral conducts and practices. With no doubt, corruptions have eroded deep into fabric of the African society and in goes on with the people almost permanently. Africa presents a typical case whose development and also the desire to change have also been undermined and retarded by the threat of corrupt practices. Fighting corruption in Africa Corruption mostly involves choices; it does not happen accidentally. Corruption and fraud requires that both people chose to engage in the corruptions acts and also have the opportunity to do so. Therefore, strategies to address corruption have to discourse the element of choice as well as that of opportunity. They have to make corruption a high risk and also a low gain as contrary to the low risk and a high gain practice as it is presently. These kinds of strategies have to be country specific and what acts in once nation may not necessarily work in another. Agencies to address corruption have to be put in place or in action by individual countries. In African nations where corruption has taken root, there is a need to re-establish governmental legitimacy (Edvig, 2008, 79). There is also a need to re-contract institutions as well as defeating corrupt practices. Why has the process of combating corruption become a tuff task in Africa? Combating corruption is neither easy nor straight forward. But the most important point to know is it is nevertheless impossible. A significant number of nations have relocated from being normally quite corrupt to another situation where corruption exists but is not widespread or pervasive. It is evident and true that most of the industrialized nations did this over time. This was during the time that political and economic competition became institutionalized and as adherence to the rule of law became much extensive. However, a number of African nations have made consecutive number of efforts to deal with the corruption practices. Many countries also have not made serious attempts. Out there at the nongovernmental and the governmental level, there also exists a growing awareness in most African nations. There awareness is based on a need to forcefully confront corruption. The consequences and the effects of corruption are not only sensed in Africa but have more than ever increasingly become a worldwide issue. This is because the costs are sensed beyond national and international borders. African nations must therefore constantly develop new and more effective strategies to fight corruption. The need to hinder and fight corruption requires a consistence, broad based approach, coherent and also long term perspective. It has also revealed that leadership, political drive and public support are necessary to the success of any anti-corruption effort. Causes and also the consequences of corruption must be addressed. Political leadership is required to both set an example and also to demonstrate that no one is above the law. This can be achieved by setting high profile focus on the specific actions which can be extremely useful in sending a strong indication that corruption will not be accepted or even tolerated (Alberto, 1999, 989). Without a doubt, most African nation have long had legislation to prevent corrupt practices and also to stringent penalties for the people court engaging or meddling in the act. These penalties can be dismissal from the offices, blacklisting, seizing of assets and also legal actions. However, in most cases the penalties have been ineffectual because they have not been invoked or because important figures have been exempted. Therefore political will is essential in that it can ensure that anticorruption legislation and administrative processes are enforced. Yet again, governments implementing anticorruption measures have to show and also demonstrate seriousness. This can make the anticorruption bodies achieve positive results and thus build their confidence. This means that they will have to track long term governance progression and institutions building aims as well as focus on definite actions which can in turn have an impact in the short term. Much attention should be given to a mutually supportive border policy of reforms. The policies in question are the once that mostly reduce government involvement in the economy. They also hinder the reorganization government tasks and also limit the flexible decision making of the authorities. This facilitates distortion of economic and government monopolies. In addition, there is also a need for African nations to develop organizations such as the public facility and the judiciary. These organizations will in turn create interconnecting systems of oversight and also of self-regulation. Every institution chosen have to be free of corruption. The institutions should also be active players in the fight beside corruption. The rule of the law is also important in that it can be used to guarantee protection of the rights of human (Wetzel, 2009, 31). It is also essential to ensure governmental predictability and also create a climate that is favorable to private zone activities. Court ruling also has to be sheltered from political intervention and also the judicial liberation has to be certain. An operative and expert legal system and admission to justice are similarly necessary. Furthermore, governments should also generate a legislature frame work for addling and addressing corruption. This legislature framework should also promote governmental accountability and also act as a watch dog on the executive. Conclusions In conclusion, in Africa corruption is affecting the nations in it so much and thus resting or hindering its growth. The costs and its effects remain on the high not. In an effort to improve its standing, also certify an environment that is conducive to facilitate economic change. The African continent must be ready to look interior at confronting and tackling the problem of corruption that is troubling the continent for a protracted time. It is expected that many of the improvements which African nations are establishing if sincerely and seriously applied will over a lengthy period create the circumstances which create the corruption more difficult and also more risky. Works Cited Alberto, James. “American economic review” Rents competition and corruption American Economic Association, 89.4 (1999): 982-993. Chauvin, Sophie. “The east Africa”, Conflict and Growth in Africa 2.1(2001): 67-90. Print. Edvig, James. “Department of Economics” How Corruption May Corrupt, 7.5 (2008): 76-84. Wetzel, David. “Framework Arrangements in Public Procurement: A Perspective from Africa,” Model Law on Procurement: Procurement Regulation for the 21st Century 7.5 (2009): 24-53. . Read More