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USAID's Anti-Corruption Initiative in Africa
The linkage between corruption and poor governance is well
established. This is particularly true in Africa, where fragile
public institutions, weak civil society organizations, the
lack of an independent judiciary, inadequately paid civil
servants, and hiring and promotion systems that are not merit-based
all interact to create a climate in which corruption can flourish.
Likewise, limited access to communication technology and independent
media in Africa, as well as a lack of modern tools for the
management and dissemination of government data, means that
citizens cannot hold government officials accountable for
their actions and consequently, a culture of impunity leads
to systemic corruption.
The Africa Bureau’s Anti-Corruption Initiative is designed
to reduce corruption in sub-Saharan Africa and to lend specific
support to recent efforts by African leaders to link good
governance performance with sustainable development practices.
To achieve these goals, the Initiative promotes:
- Public access to information;
- Civic participation in government action;
- Transparent and efficient government procedures;
- Effective government oversight institutions; and
- Public-private dialogue
The Anti-Corruption Initiative capitalizes on USAID’s
comparative advantage within the development community. Experience
has shown that anti-corruption reforms, not unlike other fundamental
reforms, require broad partnerships within civil society and
with government reformers to effectively advocate for, monitor,
and sustain anti-corruption efforts. Thus, the Initiative
will operate on three levels to build and expand USAID's current efforts to reduce corruption.
- Country Level Implementation: The Initiative
will support five-year, cross-sectoral, Mission-designed
action plans that reduce opportunities for corruption by
increasing citizen participation and public access to information
and transparency in key government processes, including
procurement, budgeting, financial management and compliance
with international protocols and obligations. The action
plans will complement existing Mission strategies, as well
as the new Africa Bureau initiatives in trade, education,
and agriculture.
- Regional Level Implementation: The Initiative
will support programs in the regional Missions to foster
regional cooperation among governments and civil society
networks committed to compliance with anti-corruption norms,
standards, and protocols. Regional programs will also support
media and research activities designed to bolster the environment
for peer review among African nations.
- USAID/Washington Level Implementation:
The Initiative will facilitate donor coordination, improve
information sharing and the development of best practices,
and strengthen the monitoring and evaluation of anti-corruption
efforts in Africa.
The Anti-Corruption Initiative supports current “African
grown” anti-corruption efforts, such as the good governance
principles put forward under the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development and the emergent anti-corruption agendas of various
African institutions, including the African Union and the
Southern Africa Development Community. The Initiative will
build upon these efforts by leveraging limited donor resources,
strengthening existing good governance programs, piloting
innovative approaches to combating corruption, and contributing
to an emerging set of best practices for improving transparency
and accountability in Africa.
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