Corruption Perceptions Index 2009 Regional Highlights Corruption Perceptions Index 2009 Regional Highlights: Sub-Saharan Africa Countries/Territories included: 47 Of the 47 countries reviewed in the region (the same as in 2008), 31 scored less than 3 (out of 10) indicating that corruption is perceived as rampant, while 13 scored between 3 and 5, indicating that corruption is perceived as a serious challenge by country experts and businessmen. As in 2008, only three countries scored more than 5: Botswana, Mauritius and Cape Verde. While some countries appear to improve their scores or ranking in comparison with others in Sub- Saharan Africa, these changes do not reflect substantial and sustainable improvements in local accountability. The overall picture remains one of serious corruption challenges across the region. As in previous years, the CPI results show that corruption has a particularly stark and devastating effect on countries that face ongoing political instability and high levels of poverty. Somalia, once again, is at the bottom of the ranking with a score of 1.0 as continued conflict and corruption prevent it from embarking on reforms to overcome economic and political collapse. Others scoring 2.0 or less include resource-rich countries such as Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Chad and Sudan. Despite their potential for generating huge revenues that could increase social development, these countries have not been able to translate their wealth into sustainable poverty-reduction programmes. Instead, high levels of corruption in the extractive industries consistently contribute to economic stagnation, inequality and conflict. Countries that score 3.0 or above and are perceived as relatively less corrupt, still face enormous challenges in the fight against corruption. While legal frameworks have been increasingly strengthened across the sub-region, their enforcement remains inconsistent. In Liberia, the post-conflict government has received international recognition for its efforts to stamp out corruption. However, recent scandals affecting government procurement and financial management, and the perception that too many government officials are political appointees, continue to undermine transparency, accountability and public trust in the political leadership. High-profile anti-corruption cases and scandals continue to be regularly reported in countries including South Africa, Ghana and Senegal and risk undermining political stability as well as the governments’ capacity to provide effective basic services in sectors such as education, health and water. In such a context, corruption levels can mean the difference between life and death. In Kenya, Guinea, Zimbabwe and Niger political leaders have failed to address the vicious cycle that links corruption to poverty. Local anti-corruption activists and whistleblowers courageous enough to publicly expose weaknesses in accountability systems are increasingly at risk as government crackdowns limit democratic opposition and stifle civil society’s ability to express the voice of the people. Individual cases, such as reports of massive corruption within the Harare City Council in Zimbabwe, are proof that only the introduction of clear and robust accountability systems with independent oversight, risk-management and full disclosure of the use of public funds, can help build systems of accountability that can reduce perceptions of public sector corruption. In Niger, the president’s decision to seize emergency powers and to dissolve both parliament and the constitutional court after it ruled that a referendum to allow him to seek a third consecutive term was unconstitutional, was a blatant disregard by the political leadership of the integrity of Niger’s public institutions. With government efforts to tackle corruption seen as ineffective across the region, it is clear that there must be renewed commitments to implement anti-corruption reforms and legislation and to introduce preventative measures, including education programmes. This will help to restore public trust and contribute to a reduction in the levels of corruption throughout the region. © 2009 Transparency International. All rights Reserved. Page 1 of 2 Corruption Perceptions Index 2009 Regional Highlights CPI 90% Confidence Interval Regional Surveys Rank Rank Country / Territory 2009 Lower Upper Used Score bound bound 37 1 Botswana 5.6 5.1 6.1 6 42 2 Mauritius 5.4 5.0 5.9 6 46 3 Cape Verde 5.1 3.3 7.0 3 54 4 Seychelles 4.8 3.0 6.7 3 55 5 South Africa 4.7 4.3 4.9 8 56 6 Namibia 4.5 3.9 5.1 6 69 7 Ghana 3.9 3.2 4.6 7 79 8 Burkina Faso 3.6 2.8 4.4 7 79 8 Swaziland 3.6 3.0 4.7 3 89 10 Lesotho 3.3 2.8 3.8 6 89 10 Malawi 3.3 2.7 3.9 7 89 10 Rwanda 3.3 2.9 3.7 4 97 13 Liberia 3.1 1.9 3.8 3 99 14 Madagascar 3.0 2.8 3.2 7 99 14 Senegal 3.0 2.5 3.6 7 99 14 Zambia 3.0 2.8 3.2 7 106 17 Benin 2.9 2.3 3.4 6 106 17 Gabon 2.9 2.6 3.1 3 106 17 Gambia 2.9 1.6 4.0 5 106 17 Niger 2.9 2.7 3.0 5 111 21 Mali 2.8 2.4 3.2 6 111 21 Sao Tome and Principe 2.8 2.4 3.3 3 111 21 Togo 2.8 1.9 3.9 5 120 24 Ethiopia 2.7 2.4 2.9 7 126 25 Eritrea 2.6 1.6 3.8 4 126 25 Tanzania 2.6 2.4 2.9 7 130 27 Mauritania 2.5 2.0 3.3 7 130 27 Mozambique 2.5 2.3 2.8 7 130 27 Nigeria 2.5 2.2 2.7 7 130 27 Uganda 2.5 2.1 2.8 7 143 31 Comoros 2.3 1.6 3.3 3 146 32 Cameroon 2.2 1.9 2.6 7 146 32 Kenya 2.2 1.9 2.5 7 146 32 Sierra Leone 2.2 1.9 2.4 5 146 32 Zimbabwe 2.2 1.7 2.8 7 154 36 Côte d´Ivoire 2.1 1.8 2.4 7 158 37 Central African Republic 2.0 1.9 2.2 4 162 38 Angola 1.9 1.8 1.9 5 Democratic Republic of 162 38 Congo 1.9 1.7 2.1 5 162 38 Congo-Brazzaville 1.9 1.6 2.1 5 162 38 Guinea-Bissau 1.9 1.8 2.0 3 168 42 Burundi 1.8 1.6 2.0 6 168 42 Equatorial Guinea 1.8 1.6 1.9 3 168 42 Guinea 1.8 1.7 1.8 5 175 45 Chad 1.6 1.5 1.7 6 176 46 Sudan 1.5 1.4 1.7 5 180 47 Somalia 1.1 0.9 1.4 3 © 2009 Transparency International. All rights Reserved. Page 2 of 2 On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 4:02 PM, A Jallow <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > http://www.transparency.org/content/download/47603/761859/CPI+2009+Regional+Highlights+Sub-Saharan+Africa+_en.pdf > ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤