THUR, JAN 23 2020-theG&BJournal-Nigeria scores 26/180 and ranks 146/180 in the latest Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perceptions Index ranking (2019). The score is below the global average of 43 and lower that its 2018 ranking of of 28/180. It equally reflects Sub-Saharan Africa’s performance which paints a bleak picture of inaction against corruption.
The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, according to experts and business people.
According to TI, this year’s analysis shows corruption is more pervasive in countries where big money can flow freely into electoral campaigns and where governments listen only to the voices of wealthy or well-connected individuals.
‘’Governments must urgently address the corrupting role of big money in political party financing and the undue influence it exerts on our political systems,’’ says Delia Ferreira Rubio, Chair Transparency International.
Ti said in the CPI report that not only are more than two-thirds of countries – along with many of the world’s most advanced economies – stagnating, some are seriously backsliding.
‘’There are worrying signs of both amongst G7 countries. The United States, for example, has received its lowest score in eight years. Canada has dropped out of the top 10, while France and the UK both score lower than last year.’’
Elsewhere, Nicaragua, Malta, Turkey and Liberia are all moving sharply down the index.
In the last eight years, only 22 countries have shown significant improvement on the CPI, while almost as many have declined. More than 130 countries have made little to no progress in tackling corruption.
More than two-thirds of countries score below 50 on this year’s CPI, with an average score of just 43. Similar to previous years, the data shows that despite some progress, a majority of countries are still failing to tackle public sector corruption effectively.
The top countries are New Zealand and Denmark, with scores of 87 each, followed by Finland (86), Singapore (85), Sweden (85) and Switzerland (85).
The bottom countries are Somalia, South Sudan and Syria with scores of 9, 12 and 13, respectively. These countries are closely followed by Yemen (15), Venezuela (16), Sudan (16), Equatorial Guinea (16) and Afghanistan (16).
In the last eight years, only 22 countries significantly improved their CPI scores, including Greece, Guyana and Estonia. In the same period, 21 countries significantly decreased their scores, including Canada, Australia and Nicaragua. In the remaining 137 countries, the levels of corruption show little to no change.
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
As the lowest-scoring region on the CPI, with an average of 32,Sub-Saharan Africa’s performance paints a bleak picture of inaction against corruption.
With a score of 66, the Seychelles earns the highest mark in the region, followed by Botswana (61), Cabo Verde (58), Rwanda (53) and Mauritius (52). At the bottom of the index are Somalia (9), South Sudan (12), Sudan (16) and Equatorial Guinea (16).
Significant improvers since 2012, Cote d’Ivoire (35) and Senegal (45) still have much work to do. The political will demonstrated by the leaders of both countries, which saw a number of key legal, policy and institutional reforms implemented in their early days in office, has been on a backslide since 2016.
Since 2012, several countries, including Congo (19), Liberia (28), Madagascar (24) and Malawi (31) have significantly declined on the CPI. Congo has been the subject of repeated reports of money laundering and embezzlement of public funds by the country’s political elite48 with no action taken by national authorities.49
In Madagascar, despite a 2018 constitutional court ruling against electoral amendments favouring the incumbent president and cited as unconstitutional, judicial independence remains a concern. More recently, the national anti-corruption agency began legal action against more than half of the country’s parliamentarians, who stand accused of taking bribes.
Money is used to win elections, consolidate power and further personal interests. Although the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combatting Corruption has provisions to prevent corruption and encourage transparency in campaign financing, implementation is weak
COUNTRIES TO WATCH
Angola
Following four decades of military dictatorship, Angola (26) jumped seven points in this year’s CPI, making it a significant improver.
However, given its overall low score, the country is still well below the global average of 43. Isabel Dos Santos, the former president’s daughter, who is also known as “Africa’s richest woman”, was fired from her job as head of the state oil and gas firm, Sonangol, months after President Lourenço’s election. In December 2019, as investigations into corruption allegations progressed, an Angolan court ordered a freeze of Dos Santos’s assets.
Although the country has recovered US$5 billion in stolen assets, more needs to be done to strengthen integrity and promote transparency in accounting for oil revenue.
Ghana
Known as a beacon of democracy in West Africa, Ghana dropped seven points on the CPI since 2014, moving from 48 in 2014 to 41 in 2019. Revelations of bribery in Ghana’s high court in 2015 and the murder of investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale in early 201955 cast serious doubts on the country’s anticorruption efforts.
Despite these developments, there is hope for change. In 2017, the Office of Special Prosecutor was established, which has the power to investigate and prosecute cases of corruption. In 2019, a right to information bill was also passed. These efforts, combined with the enhanced performance of the Auditor General’s office, offer hope for improvement.
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