Disclaimer

Views expressed in this report represents the opinions of panelists and participants

CORRUPTION, AN IMPEDIMENT TO SDGS ACHIEVEMENT: WHAT MUST AFRICA DO?

Report of the Maendeleo Policy Forum held on 7 February 2017

UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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Table of Contents I. Background ........................................................................................................................... 2

II. An overview of corruption and development in Africa ................................................6

III. Key discussion points......................................................................................................10

V. Summary of Recommendations.......................................................................................15

Annexes ....................................................................................................................................16

Annex 1: Bio of Panellists .........................................................................................................

Annex 2: Agenda ........................................................................................................................

Annex 3: Participants List .........................................................................................................

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Background

The notion of democratic governance is people-centered. It epitomizes the most fundamental

principle of democracy—that people should govern themselves through the systems they choose

through open and transparent participatory processes. Democratic governance means that

people have a say in the decisions that affect their lives and that they can hold decision-makers

accountable. It further entails that the rules, institutions and practices that govern social

interactions are inclusive and fair; that women are equal partners with men in private and public

spheres of life; that people are free from discrimination based on race, ethnicity, class, gender or

any other similar factor; and that the needs of future generations are reflected in current policies.

It also means that economic and social policies are responsive to people’s needs and their

aspirations, that these policies aim at eradicating poverty and expanding the choices that all

people have in their lives, and that human rights and fundamental freedoms are respected.

Despite the above democratic values enshrined and recognized by almost every nation today,

regardless of the country context, evidence from across Africa confirms that corruption has

emerged as the engine to an anti-democratic environment characterized by uncertainty,

unpredictability and declining moral values and disrespect for constitutional institutions and

authority. Corruption, therefore, reflects a democracy, human rights and governance deficit that

negatively impacts on poverty and human security1. It hurts the poor disproportionately and

hinders economic development, reduces social services and diverts investment in infrastructure,

institutions and social services.

Similarly, it is evident that corruption has also contributed to state failure. It has contributed to

instability, poverty and the eruption of civil wars over resources in several African countries.

Experiences from many countries which are undergoing or have emerged from conflict show that

corruption is a dominant factor in driving fragile countries to state failure2. Corruption can lead

to, and sustain, violent conflict, in the context of patrimonial regimes that are degenerating under

local or international shocks and pressures for market reform. Philippe Le Billon argues that

corruption is part of the social and political fabric of society, and thus, ‘conflict may be

engendered more by changes in the pattern of corruption than by the existence of corruption

itself ‘— for example, by appeasing belligerents to buy peace. This leads to forms of competitive

corruption between different factions, which can result in prolonged violence.

It is therefore not surprising that in the post-cold war era and in the wake of globalization,

international actors — businesses, human rights groups, multilateral institutions and regional

security blocs among others — have increased pressure on developing countries to contain

corruption, to avoid the further erosion of public institutions and the exacerbation of poverty,

1 UNDP Practioner’s guide 2004 2 UNDP Policy note on Corruption and Development, New York , 2014

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which could obstruct sustainable development and have spillover effects on neighboring

countries.

Corruption is principally a governance issue, a challenge to democratic functioning. It is a failure

of both institutions and the larger framework of social, judicial, political and economic checks

and balances needed to govern effectively.

Corruption and its Impact on SDGs

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a new global development agenda was adopted in

September 2015. The SDGs seek to “end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for

all”. The 15-year

development agenda

recognizes

eradication of

poverty in all its

forms and

dimensions, including

extreme poverty, as

the greatest global

challenge and an

indispensable

requirement for

sustainable

development. In

addition to ending

poverty, other cardinal focus of the SDGs includes prosperity - all human beings can enjoy

prosperous and fulfilling lives; peace - peaceful, just and inclusive societies; planet -protect the

planet - sustainable production and consumption, climate change and; partnership - global

partnership providing the necessary resources to implement the agenda. The African Union (AU)

in its 50-year development plan, Agenda 2063, equally envisions an integrated, prosperous and

peaceful Africa, an Africa driven and managed by its own citizen and representing a dynamic force

in the international arena”.

Achieving the SDGs in Africa will require unprecedented investments. The core areas of

investment will include (1) health, (2) education, (3) social protection, (4) food security and

sustainable agriculture, (5) infrastructure – including (a) energy access and low-carbon energy

infrastructure, (b) water and sanitation, (c) transport infrastructure, and (d) telecommunications

infrastructure – (6) ecosystem services and biodiversity, (7) data for the SDGs, and (8) emergency

response and humanitarian work. The critical question therefore is at what cost?

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The needs assessments study conducted by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network in

2015 concludes that low- and lower-middle-income countries may need to increase public and

private expenditure by some $1.4 trillion per year ($343-360 billion for Low Income Countries

(LICs) and $900-944 billion for Low – Middle Income Countries (LMICs) to achieve the SDGs. Low-

income countries cannot meet the investment needs on their own and may require some $152-

163 billion in international public co-financing3. Today, according to the Organization for

Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), there are 48 Least Developed Countries (LDCs)

representing 13% of the world’s population and an estimated 35% of the world’s extreme poor.

More than two-thirds of LDCs are in Sub-Saharan Africa (34), while the remaining countries are

spread over Asia (9), Oceania (4) and Central America (1)4.

The capacity of the LDC countries to raise the required funds to achieve the SDGs is limited. They

largely depend on aid. Even though the global aid remains high the share to the LDCs has been

on the decline. Recent OECD figures indicate an estimated overall decline in aid to LDCs – from

USD 46 billion in 2010 to 38 billion in 2014. The weak capacity along with the declining external

aid creates huge funding gap for implementing the SDGs in Africa. Meanwhile, the report of the

African Union High Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa estimates that about USD50

billion leaves Africa annually through illicit financial flows. In fact, the amount of resources that

departs Africa illicitly on annual basis surpasses the total aid expected annually and meets

average investment needed in low- and lower-middle-income countries to access water and

sanitation for 2015-20305.

Lessons from the implementation of the MDGs indicate that good governance, rule of law,

transparency and accountability at all levels remain critical; hence the inclusion of the SDG 16.

Corruption hinders and increases the cost of service delivery. The population that should enjoy

the outcome of “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, an Africa driven and managed by

its own citizen and representing a dynamic force in the international arena” as envisioned in the

AU Agenda 2063 is being targeted by corruption. Transparency International’s research has

demonstrated that widespread bribery is associated with higher maternal mortality rates and

more children dying before they reach the age of five. Half of school children do not complete

primary school in countries where bribery is common. In the poorest countries, one out of every

two people pays a bribe to access basic services like education, health and water6.

An analysis of 17 African Peer Review member states reveals that corruption is a cross-cutting

issue. All member states of the AU are signatories to the United Nations Anti-Corruption

Convention (UNCAC). In addition, the AU has established the Advisory Board on Corruption. The

3 http://unsdsn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/151112-SDG-Financing-Needs.pdf 4 https://www.oecd.org/dac/financing-sustainable-development/Taking_stock_of_aid_to_LDCs_Flyer_2015.pdf 5 Ibid 6 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josa-ugaz/ending-corruption-will-he_b_12154766.html

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Regional Economic Communities (RECs) equally have normative instruments for combating

corruption. In fact, Africa is not short of normative tools to eradicate corruption. Nevertheless,

corruption seems to be on the increase – eating up available resources for development – for

improving lives and well-being of majority of Africans.

There is no universal model of successful anti-corruption policies. Knowledge exchange alone

does not and cannot lead to direct replication in toto, owning to different political, socio-

economic and legal contexts in Africa. Nevertheless, this does not stop us from identifying and

sharing experiences and lessons learnt, as to what works, what doesn’t and why. From this

perspective, UNDP’s Maendeleo Policy Forum provides an opportunity for some of the foremost

African practitioners on corruption prevention to provide useful reference points and more

sounded understanding of what works and what does not in different countries in Africa.

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An overview of corruption and development in Africa

In the process of supporting countries to achieve the then MDGs, UNDP learned an important lesson namely that weak governance is a key barrier to development progress everywhere. The application of the MDG Acceleration Framework, a last push towards the MDGs, reinforced this view, as in a variety of countries, governance bottlenecks – such as low institutional capacities, poor co-ordination mechanisms, lack of transparency and accountability – were identified to explain failures in achieving adequate progress on key MDG targets. Although the opportunity to translate the importance of governance into the MDGs was missed, over 5 million people who participated in the 2014 ‘Global Conversation’ through “The UN My World survey” identified “Honest and responsive government” among the top development priorities for citizens globally, after a good education and better healthcare, making the final case for member states’ commitments and inclusion of governance in the SDGs. Experience shows that when institutions, policies and governance practices fail to be inclusive, transparent and accountable, corruption risks become high and abuse of power can become systematic. This hinders overall or sectoral progress on the SDGs. For example, if a society lacks effective institutions to prevent corruption, the systemic payment of bribes may result in basic services being available only to those who can afford to pay. Research conducted by Transparency International revealed that globally, corruption raises the average price a household pays for water by as much as thirty per cent. Imagine what this thirty per cent surge in household purchase price would mean for the clear majority of Africans who are still struggling to emerge from Poverty. It has been noted that Official Development Assistance (ODA) remains essential for low-income countries, and can play a catalytic role in middle-income/Africa countries too. However, achieving sustainable development, as envisaged in the SDGs, will require the mobilization of trillions of dollars a year – a level far above the $135.2 billion available through ODA. For Africa, moving forward, it is well understood among all governments, that foreign aid will not provide nearly enough to reach that level of funding. Foreign direct investment will provide something of a bridge to reach funding targets but that will not be enough to help countries achieve the 17 goals and 169 targets included in the Global Goals. That leaves retained revenues and tax revenues in African countries as the key source of funds for development. Growing tax revenues, will require African countries to address the issue of Illicit Financial Flows. Both the Global Financial Integrity and the High-Level Panel report on IFFs from Africa indicates that, eighty-three percent of the more than USD 50billion that leaves Africa annually happens through trade ‘misinvoicing’. Simply put, each year over USD 40 billion in illicit trade exits African countries. While the total value of this trade would not be applied to development programs, the tax associated with this illicit activity could be allocated to various poverty alleviation efforts. Given the trade volume in the continent, revenue could be in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Thus, curtailing even a small portion of these illicit flows would have a catalytic impact on a government’s ability to address the needs of its most vulnerable people.

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What must we do to affront this epidemy of corruption in Africa? Goal 16 of the SDGs calls on all member states to promote peaceful and inclusive societies, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. The focus of this goal is to promote rule of law; reduce illicit flows, corruption and bribery; develop effective, accountable

and transparent institutions; and ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making. One way for African states to collect more revenue is to close the so-called “policy gap.” That is, put in place laws and regulations that close loopholes, eliminate contradictory statutes, and establish new categories of

activity to tax to make the revenue system more efficient and fair. The second way to collect more revenue is to close the “compliance gap.” For this, governments, must make efforts to improve the technical capability and efficiency of various departments to ensure proper amounts of tax are paid by those who owe it. But beyond addressing these fiscal issues, capable institutions are vital for implementing development agendas. Many of the 169 targets in the SDGs Agenda therefore make implicit and in some cases, even explicit reference to the need for institutional capacity building that is a development task. In implementing the SDGs, African countries will be faced with the challenge of building public administrations which can manage more complex cross-sectoral challenges. ‘Whole of government’ approaches will be needed, bringing together departments across sectors to analyze emerging governance and corruption challenges and determine how best to tackle them. That could be helped by allocating resources to strategic goals, rather than to individual ministries or departments. As UNDP sees it, an effective public service in the 21st century needs to embrace a culture of more dynamic interaction with society, with a strong focus on responsive, open, and participatory governance, and adherence to ethical standards. This is very much in line with global citizen expectations of being involved in the design, implementation, and monitoring of policies and services for sustainable development.

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The ideal is for public administration to be guided by principles of fairness, justice, accountability, equity, and non-discrimination. Innovations in participatory governance, however, continue to be viewed with suspicion where a political and bureaucratic culture has not traditionally been receptive to public input. A competent and ethical public service offers many other benefits such as the following:

First, it helps to improve public trust and confidence in the government’s ability to meet people’s aspirations and expectations. The ways in which the civil service interacts with people, provides information, delivers services, and enables citizens to participate in public policy discussions directly impact on how citizens perceive the legitimacy of their government.

Second, a credible and honest civil service is essential for building and sustaining the investor confidence which is vital for economic growth and poverty eradication.

Third, where the enabling environment for civil service recruitment, development, and promotion is based on fair and meritocratic practices, overall staff pride and motivation, as well as organizational performance, tends to increase. Corruption also tends to be lower, and public services tend to be of higher quality and delivered more efficiently.

Fourth and finally, meritocracy and ethics in the civil service can strengthen principles of non-discrimination and equal opportunity, and can help build a civil service which reflects the society it serves. The role of a professional and ethical public service in achieving that is indispensable.

UNDP has been supporting member states (both technically and financially), and building capacities and mechanisms to tackle some of the issues mentioned above. This is because of UNDP’s conviction that transparent, accountable and inclusive institutions are in fact vital for ending poverty, reducing inequality and protecting our environment and planet.

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Introduction of the issue

Africa in Agenda 2063 has set for itself an agenda whose implementation requires a new business

model. Similarly, this new approach should also be extended to the implementation of the SDGs

to which all Africa countries

are committed. The

moderator, Dr. Ozonnia

Ojielo, Regional Cluster

Director of Governance and

Peacebuilding in Africa

emphasized that to achieve

the African dream of an

integrated, prosperous and

peaceful continent, this

new approach to doing

business has become even

more imperative. To make

this happen, Africa needs to

go beyond development aid

by entering trade with both developed and developing countries, but this needs creating an

enabling environment. For SDGs to be achieved in Africa, there is the need to demand more on

the State and institutions, including tackling the corruption issue which hinders the development

of the continent. Indeed, corruption is believed to be wide spread in Africa and manifests in

different forms ranging from companies encountering red tape and rampant bribery in all

business operations. Poor working conditions, lack of training and resources, and low salaries,

reinforce corruption and must be addressed if eradicating corruption is to be taking seriously.

The concept of African rising would require developing the culture of accountability, quality, and

performance. The moderator therefore invited the panelists and participants to address the

following questions:

1. We all agree that corruption is a challenge for the SDGs. Does this mean that SDGs are

not achievable?

2. What kind of initiatives can work?

3. How do CSOs see the corruption issues?

4. What is the key takeaway from today’s discussions?

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Key discussion points

We all agree that corruption is a challenge for the SDGs. Does this mean that SDGs are not

achievable?

Illicit Financial Flows and corruption have huge negative impacts on development in Africa. Dr.

Ayodele Odusola, the Chief Economist and Head of the Strategy and Analysis Team for UNDP

Regional Bureau for Africa (RBA), panelist, noted that from 1970 to 2008 around USD 1.8 trillion

flowed out of Africa. Therefore, it is necessary to think about the problems not only from national

level but from a continental perspective. It is evident that corruption affects Africa’s

competitiveness and that fighting corruption needs sufficient resources and investment. It is

pertinent to emphasize prevention and not only controlling corruption. Besides, incentive

structures in Africa are misplaced. For example, it is on record that parliamentarians in Nigeria

earn the highest salary in the world. And it is legally established. There must be serious efforts to

ensure that the living conditions of the population reflect their level of salary. For example, it

would be challenging for tax institutions to be functional if tax collectors are not well

remunerated. Despite the challenges recognized, it is necessary to remain optimistic since lots of

initiatives have been undertaken in Africa to rededicate corruption and free out resources for

development.

The recent researches conducted by Transparency International and Afrobarometer show that

anti-corruption initiatives embarked upon by various governments in Africa have not achieved

expected results. Ms Chantal Uwimana, Transparency International Liaison to the African Union,

panelist, stated that we should be interested in knowing the reason and actions to be taken. She

further stated that Rwanda is the only country in Africa recording improvements in the indicators

showing reduction in corruption which in the past 3 years have stagnated.

Corruption has a

multidimensional character. It is

necessary to understand the

issues of corruption from

various level, such as local,

national, and regional, and from

various sectors. However, it is

difficult to define who the

victims of corruption are. Some

may think that poor people are

the victims, such poor people

may be benefitting from

corruption in some way. The

culture of tolerance of

corruption in Africa is still high and needs to be addressed. Meanwhile, some African countries

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lack the legal frameworks to fight corruption and it is still difficult to involve citizens in anti-

corruption initiatives. It is therefore pertinent to start documenting Africa’s anticorruption

practices since some countries are doing well and we need to share and spread these examples.

A study by Transparency International further stated that Africa is widely considered among the world's most corrupt places, a factor seen as contributing to the stunted development and impoverishment of many African states. Of the ten countries considered most corrupt in the world, six are in sub-Saharan Africa, per Transparency International, a leading global watchdog on corruption. A 2002 African Union study estimated that corruption cost the continent roughly USD150 billion a year. To compare, developed countries gave USD22.5 billion in aid to sub-Saharan Africa in 2008, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Some economists argue that African governments need to fight corruption instead of relying on foreign aid. But anti-corruption efforts on the continent have shown mixed results in recent years, and analysts fear that major international partners are unwilling to exert leverage over African governments. An initiative for transparency in the extractive industries shows promise, but is mostly untested. Some experts suggest African interest in attracting foreign investment will serve to spur more substantive efforts to fight corruption.

Participants identified an intricate link which exists between corruption and inequality. The gap

between rich people and poor people is getting wider in Africa. On the other hand, meritocracy

among civil servants should be questioned. There is the challenge of “silent corruption” which

seems to be condoned. Such acts do not involve explicit financial benefits; for example,

neglecting our duties or abdicating responsibilities. Serious attention should be paid to how

government allocate resources to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to deliver the

SDGs. Some ministries, agencies and departments are poorly resourced and as such will be

unable to deliver services. The role of the Parliament therefore becomes critical to ensure

adequate appropriation and oversight of government.

In addressing the question of whether the SDGs can be achieved despite the myriads of

challenges occasioned by corruption, experiences from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Ethiopia

were shared. The experiences revealed that anticorruption issues remain a theoretical

framework while institutions are not addressing it in practice. Strengthening capacity of key

institutions should therefore be paramount. It was stressed that independence of anti-

corruption commissions could be compromised and the institutions become corrupted.

Therefore, effective checks-and-balances system is necessary to ensure sustainable capacity for

combating corruption at the national level. Key anti-corruption institutions should be allocated

sufficient resources to conduct their functions properly.

In terms of what must be done for effective fight against corruption and achieving SDGs, the

following were identified as critical:

1) committed leaders demonstrating strong political will;

2) transparent and open media;

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3) establish appropriate systems;

4) functioning institutions sufficiently resourced;

5) roles of citizens and civil society;

6) establish tracking processes;

7) partnerships to tackle transnational challenges;

8) proper incentive mechanisms;

9) promotion of morality.

Overall, there should be a holistic approach to achieving the SDGs. Appropriate mechanism must

therefore be put in place to ensure that resources are allocated adequately for the achievement

of results.

What kind of initiatives can work?

CSOs can play significant roles to monitor public resource distribution, utilization and public

service delivery at local level. SDG 17 stresses need for partnership which is critical for achieving

the SDGs. It is therefore

important that all

stakeholders are involved in

all the efforts to eradicate

corruption as the

Anticorruption Commissions

alone cannot stop corruption.

Civic education and the

involvement of the youth are

paramount in the efforts to

eradicate corruption in Africa.

It is not possible to eradicate

corruption completely, but

the objective is to reduce the

degree of its impact on development. The panelists emphasized that to achieve SDGs, we need

to fight corruption using social contracts with, not only governments but also various social actors

who have different roles and responsibilities.

Participants argued that while issues of performances and acknowledgments work in certain

cases, financial incentives for the civil servants cannot mitigate corruption, rather they motivate

them to request more benefits. While the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa covers 46 Sub Saharan

African countries, the challenge for UNDP making substantive impact is limited by the efforts of

the countries. For instance, of the 46 African countries only 6 have anticorruption programmes.

African countries should demonstrate commitment to eradicating corruption by making it one of

their key development priorities. Surprisingly, anti-corruption does not seem to be gaining the

interest and attention of donors as it used to be. Some donors do not seem to have interests in

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this topic and some governments are not motivated to tackle corruption which is also related to

human rights. In summary, the main issues of corruptions in Africa include the following:

Taxation: systems for effective tax collection are weak or ineffective and in the process

taxes are evaded or poorly collected

Lack of independence of anticorruption bodies: most of anti-corruption bodies lack

autonomy and have outdated mandates and responsibilities

Public procurement: a large percentage of government spending is around public

procurement which is often not done transparently. Corruption can be minimized in the

procurement process if countries utilize modern technology (ICT) which creates better

access and space for stakeholders including CSOs to monitor how public services are

delivered

Youth: youths are often excluded from government processes. To grow next generations

to take appropriate actions towards corruption, appropriate messages and supports

should be provided to the youth

Governments’ efforts at eradicating corruption are often focused on the public sector.

private sector which has become a major player in corruption and especially in the

extractive area is particularly important for Africa. It is therefore pertinent to develop

appropriate frameworks to approach them

Institution: we must rethink what kind of engagement we have with anticorruption

institutions that do not have a clear mandate

Enhanced governance to reconcile with factors which reinforce corruption and culture of

corruption.

Participants further emphasized that considering that corruption is a global phenomenon

platforms to discuss measures to mitigate it in Africa must be found for lessons of success and

best practice to be

learned. The need to

address weak

anticorruption

institutions and

political will was again

reiterated. At the

regional level, UNDP’s

contribution to

strengthening the

capacities of regional

frameworks

especially the African

Union Anticorruption Advisory Board was acknowledged. Nevertheless, UNDP was called upon

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to continue to provide support to regional as well as national anticorruption institutions.

Participants further emphasized apolitical approach to dealing with corruption considering it as

a very sensitive political issue. For instance, interventions to reduce corruption can be planned

and carried out without necessarily calling them anticorruption activities. Such interventions can

be initiated to promote transparency and accountability and enhance economic development for

the benefits of the larger population. In addition, anti-corruption initiatives should be

mainstreamed into all development initiatives. In that way, it reduces unnecessary attention and

interest of political actors who might feel threatened by anticorruption initiatives. Similarly, anti-

corruption agencies must find ways of attracting and recruiting staff who show genuine passion

and commitment to the fight against corruption.

How do CSOs see the corruption issues?

Participants underscored the critical role of civil society organizations in all efforts to eradicate

corruption in Africa. CSOs believe that corruption also should be considered as a moral issue.

Then, as a moral issue, what kind of tools should be used to address it? In the context of

corruption, it does not mean that legalized actions are always “correct”. Considering the

increasing incidents of corruption, the question therefore arises whether governance systems in

Africa are suitable for curbing corruption or exacerbate it. CSOs raised the concern that Europe

and other countries outside of the continent benefit from the money flowing from Africa. Being

a global phenomenon, partnership with non-African countries and international organization will

be necessary if successful war against corruption must be fought in Africa.

CSOs cautioned that even CSOs can be corrupted. Although people tend to recognize that the

problems belong to “outsiders”, every social group and even individuals can be corrupted, hence

a strong check-and-balance system is required. Every social actor is responsible to tackle

corruption; therefore, we need to approach the problem together. It is also necessary to establish

appropriate social sanction systems to prevent impunity.

It should be noted that corruption is cultural and rooted in every community, therefore value-

based education can play significant roles. CSO including the media has critical roles to play in

disseminating significant information to public spaces. It must therefore be stressed that to

succeed in the fight against corruption, free, independent and strong civil society where issues

are discussed and debated without intimidation and harassment from the government to find

joint solutions will be critical.

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What needs to be done to combat corruption?

The moderator, Dr. Ozonnia Ojielo congratulated the audience and noted that the 7th edition

Maendeleo Forum was productive as participants had identified impediments and how to get

around them.

Summary of Recommendations

1) Combat illicit financial flows, to gather the resources needed to achieve the

Sustainable Development Goals;

2) Focus on putting in place prevention and control mechanism and tools to reduce

incidence of corruption;

3) Strengthen Anticorruption Commissions and the overall institutional framework so

that the checks and balances mechanism can be effective;

4) Ensure the proper allocation of financial resources and their monitoring to deliver

the SDGs and ensure they are tracked and reported;

5) Leverage the role of civil society fostering partnership and cooperation on the

monitoring of anticorruption policies and strategies;

6) Promote zero tolerance against corruption and citizen’s involvement;

7) Enhance the role of free and independent Medias in the fight against corruption,

fostering debate and public dialogue;

8) Sharing lessons-learned and best-practices of African countries doing well on

anticorruption as well as by promoting South-South cooperation;

9) Ensure donors are accountable and aware of the loss due to illicit financial flows in

Africa and rethink ways to cooperate against corruption;

10) Promote a cross-sectoral and global partnership against corruption;

11) Provide incentives to enable a conducive environment against corruption, including

by education programs for youth;

12) Build-up capacities in Public administrations and promote leadership for a more

efficient system;

13) Adopt a holistic and comprehensive approach toward corruption;

14) Encourage partnership with the private sector as a major player in the fight against

corruption.

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Annexes

Maendeleo Policy Forum

Theme: CORRUPTION, AN IMPEDIMENT TO SDG ACHIEVEMENT: WHAT MUST AFRICA DO?

07 February 2017

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Annex 1: Bio of Panelists

Ms. Chantal Uwimana is the Transparency International Liaison to

the African Union. Ms. Uwimana has extensive experience in the

field of social development. Within this context, she worked in rural

micro-finance in Burundi, in Belgium on the social integration of

refugees and in the Gambia on poverty alleviation. Before joining

Transparency International, Ms. Uwimana worked for Voluntary

Services Overseas (VSO) in the UK as Placement Adviser in the

Business and Management Team and for John Snow International-

UK (Centre for Sexual and Reproductive Health) as a Program Officer.

She holds a Master’s Degree in Development Policy and

Management from the University of Antwerpen in Belgium.

Dr. Ayodele Odusola is the Chief Economist and Head of the

Strategy and Analysis Team for UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa

(RBA). He coordinates the preparation of the Africa Human

Development Report, the African Economic Outlook and the Africa

MDGs/SDGs reports, the MDGs Acceleration Framework for Africa

and the coordination of MDG-related activities in 46 African

countries. He also coordinates the Post-2015 development agenda

in RBA in partnership with the African Union. He manages the pan

African partnership on the SDGs/MDGs comprising the UNDP, the

African Union, the Economic Commission of Africa and the African

Development Bank. Dr. Odusola is an economist with a strong focus

on macroeconomics and development economics, with a particular emphasis on Africa. He was

the Economic Adviser in UNDP South Africa and played a key role in the publication of National

and Provincial MDG and Human Development Reports. Previously, he was the Senior Economist

in UNDP Nigeria and was responsible for facilitating the support for the preparation of local,

regional and national MDGs reports. Before joining the United Nations, Mr. Odusola worked with

Ms. Chantal Uwimana

Dr. Ayodele Odusalo

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the Presidency of Nigeria. Between 1999 and 2005, he served as Head of Research and

Macroeconomic Training Programme under the Presidency’s Economic Management Think-Tank.

He has also worked in several African countries.

Mr. Odusola has lectured in many universities in Africa and has published over 50 articles in

national and international journals, books as well as technical reports.

Moderator

Dr. Ozonnia OJIELO, Regional Cluster Director, Governance and Peacebuilding in Africa, UNDP Africa Hub. Dr. Ojielo leads the Governance and Peacebuilding cluster and provides strategic policy, thought and programmatic leadership to country offices, national and regional partners. From 2011 to 2014, he served as the Coordinator for Conflict Prevention and Recovery at UNDP’s Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery. Before this, he was the Senior Peace and Development Adviser to the UN RC/HC and the Chief of the Peacebuilding Programme for UNDP in Kenya. From 2004 to 2008, he was the Senior Governance Adviser to the UN RC, and Head of the Governance Programme at UNDP Ghana. He has also worked as the Head of Operations and Officer of the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission; a Human Rights Lawyer; and a chartered mediator, arbitrator and conciliator

in Nigeria; and the president for the Centre for Peace in Africa (Lagos). He holds a PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, an MBA (Strategic and Project Management), an MA (History) and an LL.B Hons in Law.

Dr. Ozonnia Ojielo

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Annex 2: Agenda

Theme: Corruption, an impediment to SDGs achievement: What Must Africa Do?

Tuesday 07 February 2017, UNDP RSCA, Addis Ababa

Time Activity

15.30 – 16.00 Registration of Participants

16.10 – 16.20 Moderation Mr Ozonnia Ojielo Regional Cluster Director Governance and Peacebuilding UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa

16.20 – 16.50 Panellists 1. Ms Chantal Uwimana Transparency International Liaison to the African Union

2. Mr. Ayodele Odusola

Chief Economist and Head of the Strategy and Analysis Team UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa

16.20 – 17.00 Q & A/ Interactive Session

17.00 – 17.30 Response from the Panelists

17.30 – 18.00 Summary of the session Mr Ozonnia Ojielo

18.00 Reception Follow on the conversation on Twitter @UNDPAfrica and hashtags #anticorruption, #SDGs and

#MaendeleoForum

Maendeleo Policy Forum

Forum Politique Maendeleo

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Annex 3: Participants List

Name Organization 1. Alessandra Casazza UNDP RSCA

2. Alessandro Palmoso Embassy of Switzerland

3. Amadou Sow UNDP

4. Ana Cervantes Embassy of Mexico

5. Anne Sofia Hammich Embassy of Danemark

6. Begizem Yaregal FEACC (Federal Ethics and Anticorruption Commission)

7. Biruk Tesfaye UNDP CO

8. Bishow Parajuli RC/RR Zimbawe

9. Camillo Boukrim UNDP

10. Chantal Uwimana Transparency International

11. Chinpihoi Kipgen UNDP

12. David Das Neves UNDP RSCA

13. David Mueller UNDP RSCA

14. David Omozuafoh UNDP RSCA

15. Dominique Fabeya UNDP

16. Doris Voubraak Embassy of the Netherlands

17. Edward Icallon RESHC/RR Nigeria

18. Elizabeth Eilor UNDP

19. Ella Teperi UNDP RSCA

20. Eloise Dekeyser Embassy of Belgium

21. Endrias Getachew UNDP RSCA CO

22. Fauziya Abdi Ali UNDP RSCA

23. Francis Mbilima UNDP RSCA

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24. Girma Worku FEACC (Federal Ethics and Anticorruption Commission)

25. Haile Kibret UNDP

26. Inergen Nagler UNDP RSCA

27. Jingxin Boro UNESCO IICBA

28. John Ilcubaye AU

29. Josie Koye UNDP

30. Leea Van Hijum Embassy of the Netherlands

31. Lisa Nissdal UNCDF

32. Maria Melky UNDP

33. Mattia Grandi Embassy of Italy

34. Moussou Coulibaly UNDP RSCA

35. Natalia Voronova UNDP RSCA

36. Njoya Tikum UNDP RSCA

37. Pascale Bonzom UNDP RSCA

38. Peter Kitsyi UNESCO -IICBA

39. Priscilla Chimwele UNDP RSCA

40. R. Venkakesaw Embassy of India

41. Rahel Aytenew UNDP RSCA

42. Relohe Shrestha UNRCO

43. Rossella Marangio UNDP RSCA

44. Russell Bailey Embassy of Japan

45. Ruth Abraham Embassy of Ireland

46. Sakinah Morris UNDP RSCA

47. Samane Azar-Pey UNDP RSCA

48. Selamawit Abebe UNDP RSCA

49. Shimels Assefa UNDP Ethiopia CO

50. Side Okelce AU-PSD

51. Sileshi Fithamlak UNDP RSCA

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52. Silje Holmboe UNDP RSCA

53. Solomon Getnet UNDP RSCA

54. Sophie Conteh UNDP RSCA

55. Subbadra Venkatesan UNESCO IICBA

56. Tesfaye Shamebo FEACC (Federal Ethics and Anticorruption Commission)

57. Tomas Sales UNDP RSCA

58. Tomi Lounio UNDP RSCA

59. Valentina Bianchini UNDP RSCA

60. Yoko Takazawa UNDP RSCA