The absence of accountability has allowed people to steal with impunity, making Africans poor when they should be rich
The mark of African political leadership has too often been characterised by the reneging on pledges of clean government and indulging in corruption. There are, of course, exceptions to this rule. Yet, regrettably, the political classes of my continent have often behaved like those who suffer from an addiction – blaming others for those consequences made by their own hands. But as with all addiction sufferers, eventually it is no longer possible to elude responsibility, and they are inexorably led to the day of reckoning.
This made the first African Anti-Corruption Day this week, for all 55 countries of the African Union, an important step in recognising both the realities and responsibilities for corruption. It is symbolic, of course, as is my appointment as the first AU champion on anti-corruption – but it is a call to action.
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