16 Jul 2019

The African Anti-Corruption Day commemoration serves as a basis for all anti-corruption stakeholders to reflect on the challenges of asset recovery in Africa and solicit contributions as well as support in the development of a common position on the issue.

This was said by Directorate on Corrution and Economic Crime (DCEC) deputy director general, Ms Erica Ndlovu at the commemoration of the Anti-Corruption Day held under the theme, Towards a Common African Position on Asset Recovery.  

“The AU declared July 11 anti-corruption day in recognition of the vast progress made by the AU Convention on preventing and combating corruption and cognizant of the need to continually reflect on approaches to end corruption,” she said.

Ms Ndlovu revealed that the convention was adopted in Maputo, Mozambique on the July 11, 2003 and came into effect in 2006.

Currently, the convention has been ratified by 40 member states.

Botswana acceded to the convention in 2014.

Since the adoption of the convention, she said, African states had made significant efforts in the fight against corruption, including the creation of anti-corruption agencies and enactment of national laws dealing with corruption.

She said this year marked the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the AU Advisory Board on Corruption whose function was to provide pertinent support to member states in the sustainable implementation of the anti-corruption convention.

She called on AU member states, the private sector, non-governmental organisations, the media and citizens across the continent and in the diaspora to join hands in commemorating the day.

All were needed to prevent and win the fight against corruption, she stressed. Corruption, Ms Ndlovu said, was robbing children of their right to meaningful productive lives.

She reiterated DCEC’s promise to steer Botswana towards a corruption-free society by striving for zero tolerance to the scourge despite the peculiar challenges experienced.

Cote d’Ivoire head of delegation, Mr Dago Desire, said given Botswana’s performance in the fight against corruption, his country’s High Authority for Good Governance president, Mr N’Golo Coulibaly, saw it fit to send a team to Botswana to share experiences and learn.

He said the delegation knew from international publications that Botswana was one of the least corrupt countries in Africa.

Further, he said, the working sessions they had with DCEC, Competition Authority, Financial Intelligence Agency, Commonwealth Agency Against Corruption, Directorate on Public Prosecution and Botswana Public Integrity Center helped them to understand the key factors of Botswana’s success.

The factors included good legal and institutional arrangement as well as a collective consciousness of the population against corruption and economic crimes, he said.

He expressed pleasure at the choice of Botswana for a study visit noting that they would leave with added strategy and good practices against corruption and economic crimes.

Mr Desire said they were convinced that it was through synergy of actions that they would be able to eradicate corruption in their societies and therefore in all Africa.

He expressed the hope that the study visit would be the beginning of long and fruitful collaboration between Botswana and Cote d’Ivoire in the fight against corruption. Ends