AU Commission chief urges robust efforts to win battle against corruption in Africa

ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- As the Pan-African bloc dedicates the year 2018 as an Anti-Corruption Year, the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has reiterated the call for collaborated efforts to address the scourge of corruption on the African continent.

In a statement on Thursday, Mahamat called on AU member states, regional economic communities (RECs), AU organs, as well as civil society organizations, citizens, and all other stakeholders to work together, in 2018 and beyond, towards lifting the burden of corruption out of the lives of Africans affected, particularly the poor and marginalized groups in the society.

Mahamat underlined the need to exert more efforts despite ongoing activities to address the problem.

By declaring 2018 the African Anti-Corruption Year, the AU policy making organs have given a strong push forward in the collective efforts by the pan-African bloc towards a peaceful and secure Africa.

"Corruption kills," said the Chairperson of the AU Commission. "Corruption is an endemic that affects people's daily lives, from poorly built roads, to unequal access to healthcare and medicine, to crime and violence in our communities and across borders, to political choices distorted by money and greed among other societal ills." he said.

A lot has been done over the last 15 years since the adoption of the AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, and governments and non-state actors have raised awareness of the devastating effects of corruption on human rights, civil and political rights, social and economic rights alike, according to the Chairperson.

They have mounted advocacy campaigns to influence national, regional, continental and global agendas demanding for systemic change, he noted in the statement.

Working with a wide range of partners, they have adhered to globally accepted anti-corruption standards, developed innovative tools / approaches and carried out research to deepen the collective understanding of corruption and its many ugly facets, said the Chairperson, emphasizing that a lot more still remains to be done.

The 3oth AU summit will be held from 22 to 29 January in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa under the theme "Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa's Transformation." Enditem