The Gambia has improved in Transparency International’s newly released Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2017, an indicator designed to measure the level of strides countries make to fight corruption.
The 2016 report showed The Gambia rank 145 out of 175 but the new index shows a significant leap from 145 to 130, scoring 30 as opposed to last year’s 26.
However, The Gambia’s neighbour Senegal has been praised for “a remarkable improvement” in the fight against corruption improving its score from 36 to 45 in the last six years, mainly due to its robust anti corruption.
“Shortly after assuming office in 2012, President Macky Sall put in place a Ministry of Good Governance and National Office against Fraud and Corruption (OFNAC). He also re-instituted Senegal’s Court for the Repression of Illicit Enrichment (CREI), among other measures. Since then, the government followed through to ensure proper facilitation and functionality of these institutions,” it said.
According to Transparency International, Africa has several countries that consistently push back against corruption, and with notable progress, saying African countries like Botswana, Seychelles, Cape Verde, Rwanda and Namibia all score better on the index compared to some OECD countries like Italy, Greece and Hungary.
“The key ingredient that the top performing African countries have in common is political leadership that is consistently committed to anti-corruption. While the majority of countries already have anti-corruption laws and institutions in place, these leading countries go an extra step to ensure implementation.
“Cote d’Ivoire, a significant improver on the CPI, increased its score by nine points from 2013 to 2017, and moved from 27 to 36 on the index. In a country where communities are heavily burdened by corruption, the government is making great strides towards alleviating this problem. During his first term in office, President Alassane Ouattara quickly followed through on his campaign promises and: 1) passed a law on the prevention and repression of corruption; 2) set up a national anti-corruption authority; and 3) pursued compliance with some international initiatives, like the Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI),” the report said.
The anti corruption body urged the African Union to consider investment in countries that historically struggle with anti-corruption efforts and show little to no progress.
It said: “This includes countries like Malawi and Guinea Bissau that continue to decline significantly, as well as countries like Somalia and South Sudan, which fall at the very bottom of the index and face significant governance challenges.”
